Northern Pygmy Owl

This gallery contains 4 photos. The one bird I especially hoped to see over the BC Family Day 2016 long weekend was one I almost missed — and then the crowd of birders and photographers we happened upon alerted us to the presence of this diminutive raptor, roosting in the bright early afternoon sunshine. I have no idea if this was a female or male (female raptors are almost always bigger than the males, and darker). Although solitary by nature, as many as four Northern Pygmy Owls were sighted in this area during the winter.

6 inches of cute in one deceptively ferocious package (taken from 50 feet away)
f/6.3, 1/400, 500mm, ISO 200 

This NOPO was constantly swiveling its head like a submarine periscope: left, center, right, straight ahead, and down. The Northern Pygmy Owl, a diurnal (daytime) hunter, does not actively seek prey, but sits and waits patiently for it to show up, and then goes after it.

what I initially thought was interest in us was actually viligance about its surroundings
f/6.3, 1/400, 500mm, ISO 200 

Those puzzling cobra-like false eye spots on the back of its head for which it is (in)famous for? (talk about having eyes on the back of your head). Groups of small songbirds (the NOPO’s primary diet) mob NOPOs (think strength in numbers) to drive the predator away (think strength in numbers); those false eye spots make prey think twice about approaching.

I did a double take at those false eye spots the first time I saw the NOPO face *away* from us!
f/6.3, 1/400, 500mm, ISO 250 

We witnessed one such dive (I attended a raptor seminar a few years ago, and learned that owl feathers and wings have evolved for virtually silent flight, so that prey cannot hear the wingbeats of approaching predators).

prey has just been spotted on the ground below its perch. this was taken just before its dive down.
f/7.1, 1/400, 500mm, ISO 250

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