Paydirt!!!

Switching gears again, I anticipated a rather nice weather day and so decided to drive up to the Reifel Refuge in BC for a few hours.  While the weather initially looked promising it wasn't that good by the time I arrived.  Just outside the refuge there was a large group of birders pointing very large scopes/cameras into a muddy field.  I chose not to stop because it appeared that whatever they were watching had to be too far in the distance and since it was just a muddy field it didn't appear to be any kind of background in which I would be interested. 

When I parked at the preserve the woman who parked next to me asked if I had seen the "Hawk Owl" at the corner of the road.  I hadn't but realized that must have been what was attracting the attention.  I birded the preserve and took a lot of duck photos and saw two Northern Saw-whet owls but neither was in a location where I could get a good photo, although both were almost withing arms' reach. 

When I left the refuge there was again a large assemblage of birders with cameras and lenses that gave me an inferiority complex.  However I dutifully set up my camera on my new carbon fiber monopod and began taking photos of the owl.  It had moved across the street to trees in the yard of a house and was only about 50-60 feet from the road.  I took probably 50 or more shots of the owl. 

The owl entertained the assemblage for at least 20-30 minutes, carrying around a mole and stashing it here and there, then eating on it, then going into a hunting posture like there was other prey in the bushes.  It was extremely entertaining and active and totally ignored the rather large crowd gathered at the edge of the roadway. 

It seems the bird, properly named a Northern Hawk owl (which I had never heard of and only learned the proper name upon arriving back at the house) is a very rare visitor to SW BC but had been hanging out in the area for at least several weeks. 

So here it is... the Northern Hawk owl...