2022 – day 1 – up before dawn – excited about the day ahead. We plan to search for wolves in Yellowstone. But I know for certain I will have my eyes out for the birds as well. And to my delight, as the sky lightened and the sun graced the horizon, I looked up to see an Eagle flying over. First bird of the new year was a majestic Eagle, in flight no less! As we entered the Northeast gate of Yellowstone a group of 5 Rosy-finches welcomed us. Seeing a Rosy-finch is a first for me so I am definitely loving the start to this day!! I saw my favorite bird – the American Dipper, some Mallards, Magpies, Ravens, Canada Jays, and a Mountain Chickadee. But the highlight of the day was seeing a Pygmy Owl!!Another first for me!!! (2 lifers in one day!!) She was perched high up in a distant tree. When I say the Pygmy Owl is small, I mean tiny!!! They are one of the smallest owls measuring around 6 inches. They are small, but definitely mighty. They feast on other birds sometimes more than twice their size. While the other birds that I mentioned above were pretty easy to spot, the Pygmy was a little more elusive. Besides being so small, she also decided to take flight after first being spotted. Since this was my first sighting of a Pygmy, I wanted another chance to see this gem of a bird. I had an idea of which tree she flew to, so I got out of the car and walked down the road a bit. There she was! (I should point out that the temperature was minus 20!) There she sat with her back to me. I waited and waited and waited – please little owl just turn around, I would love to see your incredibly beautiful face. I waited and waited. (The rest of the gang stayed in the car). So there I was standing in sub-zero temperatures hoping the Pygmy would cooperate and turn around. Did she?
No, she didn’t – instead she flew away, leaving me standing in the cold. But I didn’t feel cold…I was too excited and too happy!! These Owls aren’t found in the East and since we were really focused on finding wolves, not birds – the fact that she was spotted was really a treat!! A great way to start the new year!!! Such a special find! Happy New Year!!!
Wild Wild West 