This morning I drove over to Catalina Pond Regional Park for a morning hike. My goal was to walk into the pond, and discover what might be hanging out with the limited H2O! During my hike into the pond I saw an amazing number of sparrows and finches, and even a few Scarlet Flycatchers. Sadly, they were all flitting around so fast photographs were impossible.

However, the bird of the day (and seemingly this trip) was the Gambel’s Quail. They are everywhere calling to define their territories. The accompanying video was actually taken at my AirBnB while I was BBQing supper yesterday evening.

Gambel’s Quail

Gambel’s Quail Calling (video link for email subscribers)

My other surprise of the morning was discovering yet another Great Horned Owl’s nest at Catalina Pond. Just hike into the pond, stand by the water inlet and look up to your right! These owlets are younger than the chicks I discovered two days ago. See the video and you’ll discover the oldest trying to gain some freedom!

Great Horned Owl Mom on Nest #2

GHO Poppa back at Nest #1

Mom GHO on the 2nd Nest (video link for email subscribers)(watch for the owlet)

Finally, tomorrow my plan us to go and sit by an extremely small stream. The folks from the Tucson Audubon Society pointed this tiny bit of water out to me on Sunday at Catalina State Park, which was a bird magnet. The stream will be gone in a few days having dried out.

White Crowned Sparrow Bathing

I was dumbfounded yesterday afternoon when I found a Barn Owl and a Great Horned Owl Family peacefully coexisting within 30 yards of each other. My experience, and common birding thought has always taught me that Great Horned Owls, which are top of the food chain, will NEVER tolerate other owls or raptors nearby. However, north of Tucson I found just this situation. A family of five Great Horned Owls did not seem to mind the presence of the Barn Owl. I can only speculate that prey must be plentiful, because Dad GHO could have easily attacked and killed the Barn Owl. At home, I have found the remains of several Barred Owls underneath my local owl’s nests over the past four years.

I did some Google searches, and even the Cornell School of Ornithology seems to be in line with my way of thinking, but I did find one birder / naturalist who lives in Utah who experienced the same strange situation a few years back (read his account … with pics)

The Barn Owl

Mom Great Horned Owl and Family

Dad Great Horned Owl

Finally I have included images of both species chilling out and falling asleep … not the mark of a stressed out bird … the exact opposite. Let me stress that each image in this blog post was taken within a 100 yard radius (a very small area in terms of nesting and perches). I even think there may be a Barn Owl nest in the immediate vicinity, but I did not want to stress the owls out by making a close exhaustive search.

Two Owls a Sleeping

Molly and I are back in Minnesota. My hope was to go birding this morning and explore local haunts, but Mother Nature thought differently. After five weeks in the dry Texas Hill Country and then the Desert Southwest, it is pouring in Minnesota. It’s kind of nice to see rain, but taking a birding hike is out of the question.

For my own benefit as much as anyone’s, here are my final images from Tucson. This Coopers Hawk is lucky to be alive and proves love is dangerous. While hiking and visiting the area in Catalina State Park where my Barn Owl would hang out, I discovered three Coopers Hawks having a disagreement over a nesting site. Both guys were trying to impress the lady. Note to self: when presented with a great opportunity, a Barn Owl will strike during the middle of the afternoon. Said owl suddenly appeared out of nowhere (at least it seemed to me) and struck at this Coopers Hawk. The hawk escaped by a matter of inches.

For my final southwest post, here is another blooming Saguaro Cactus! If you ever get the opportunity to visit the desert southwest, a trip in late March or early April will often yield a desert in bloom!

One final comment, my favorite English teacher at Phillips Exeter Academy might not approve of my blogging style. I often capitalize the names of birds and other items which are not proper nouns. I understanding I am breaking grammar rules, but it helps the name stand out better in the blog text. This is not an apology … just an explanation! In addition the use of dot, dot, dot as in “…” is also not proper punctuation … sorry Professor Heath!

That’s right folks … I’m a preppie. Learn more via The Official Preppy Handbook.