You Gotta LOVE Owls!!!

Yup - if you check this post you better LOVE Owls because that's all it's about!  I had incredible luck on Tuesday when I went out with my camera.  I've been doing a Camas and Market Lake trip about every week and that's what I did on Tuesday - not much to see up to Camas - the birds are heading south before Winter gets here so they're mostly gone.  And there hasn't been much of anything to see at Market Lake all year but I go and walk the trees and look for the Great Horned Owls.

Had luck finding them today and here's the shots - the first ones are from the earlier trip of the day.

 This is a favorite - he looks - ANGRY!!
 

And from later in the day - I know I didn't walk under this one but I turned and looked back down the path and there he sat - watching me.

While I was watching the Northern Saw Whet one of the Great Horned Owls flies down and lands on branches just on the other side of these bushes that line the path - the path I'm standing on!!  He's just 10 feet away from me!!  I don't think he had a good view of just what was just on the other side of the bushes from him but he could hear my camera and kept bobbing his head trying to see what that noise was.

While I'm watching the Northern Saw Whet - behind me I hear a commotion and the Squirrel runs across the path and the Great Horned Owl flies up from the ground to return to his branch.  Guess he won't be having Squirrel for dinner!  But he does look like he blames me -

And I can't resist searching for the little Northern Saw Whet Owl even tho' I haven't seen one since mid-November last year.  TEN months!!  I still had hope that one day there would be another.  

And I FINALLY found one!!  I had already gone by him as I checked the trees going north.  Coming back south I wasn't sure why I kept checking the trees.  But I just can't stop searching the branches.  

And what do I find sitting up high??  A little Northern Saw Whet.

I didn't want to leave and decided to come back later in the day.  And when I get back - - he's still there!  

Not sure what he was checking out below him -

Since it was late afternoon I wanted to wait around and see if the sun would hit him as it set in the west - and it did.

Now it was time to head home.  I couldn't help but wonder if there might be a second Saw Whet so I searched the trees as I headed to the car.  

And what do I see - sitting to the left of a tree trunk??  What I was sure was my second Saw Whet.  I set up the tripod and put my camera on it and snapped a few photos.  There's still light but with him on the east side of the tree trunk and leaves on the tree - I checked to see what kind of shot I was getting of him.  I made some adjustments and snapped a couple more.  Checked them again.  

And said THAT is NOT a Saw Whet!!  

I had a Flammulated Owl !!!  The second one I've gotten to see - both of them at Market Lake.  

Now I was really checking to see if I was getting my shots!!  

I went back out late this afternoon in hopes one or both would still be there but I couldn't find either one.  

But you can bet - I will keep looking!!!