A Northern Hawk Owl, a most coveted wish-list bird for me showed up in York, Ontario. As I watched the reports, I began drooling for this bird. When I could take it no more, I poked “the guys” to see if anyone was serious about going for it. It was a four hour drive and with my knack for losing my map GPS when in Canada, I was reluctant to travel that distance alone. Thankfully, 3 of my buddies, Joe, Kevin, and Rick, were in!
When we arrived, it felt great to stretch our legs but wow, was it cold! I was afraid we’d have a long walk in the bitter cold but we were shocked to see the crowds of people and right away, we knew our quarry was only a hundred feet or so away.
Cameras in hand, we made our way into the crowd, craning our necks and straining our eyes in search of the bird. It was Kevin who first said, “It’s there! It’s right there!”. Sure enough, the incredible, stern-looking owl was literally only 30 feet away - right, smack in front of us. Of course, a photo frenzy ensued and when we finally calmed down, the smiles on our faces couldn’t have been any wider. It was a life bird for all 4 of us.
What an awesome bird to come down from the boreal forests of the far north and grace us with its presence. The owl seemed oblivious to all the people, which was a gift all by itself. It probably has never encountered humans before and didn’t have any reason to fear us. Amazing. Eventually, the celebrity flew further out into the marsh and we left him to the enthralled crowd. Word has it that there is a rodent shortage up north and with its main food source in short supply, these owls are being seen in various southern Ontario locations.
Much later, we learned that the owl stayed all winter before heading back up north sometime in spring.