06/04/2026
I hadn't carried my camera on my dog walks for a while and yesterday I was really regretting that as there were lots of cool photography moments I missed. I saw two red-tailed hawks circling low and calling to each other and then a few blocks further I heard mockingbirds going crazy and flying around a palm tree. Usually, if you want to find a hawk or owl, a giveaway is other birds being agitated and squawking and divebombing in protest of their presence. Combine that with lots of bird p**p and owl pellets at the base of a tree and that usually means a nest or roosting place. At first I saw what I thought might be one of the hawks from earlier, but when I got closer, I saw that it was an owl! I thought it was a fledgling as I was sure that I could see the fuzzy head with little k***s instead of the adult feathered ears. I quickly hurried home, grabbed my camera and drove back down the street. The owl was still there, but through the camera it wasn't as young as I initially thought. Of course it was mostly sleeping at this point so all I could see was the body. Eventually it briefly looked around (this photo). I think it is a young one - the body has mature feathers, but the head doesn't have the adult ears yet - so maybe an older teenager?? I went back there today on my walk and didn't see any owls, but a neighbor said that sometimes they perch on a fireplace of a home near what I think is the nesting tree. I hope to have another sighting soon. :)
