Birdwatchers get rare glimpse of great gray owls

So far, this season has been a disappointment for winter sports enthusiasts, and for anyone who likes snow. But for birdwatchers it has been probably one of the best on record – especially with the arrival of not one but two (and perhaps more) great gray owls in the area.

I first read the report on a birding list-serve and was elated to learn the birds were sighted in Milford, near the Sunkhaze National Wildlife refuge – a scant half-hour from where I live in Old Town. Usually rare vagrants or “irruptives,” as the great gray is known, turn up hours away. But here they were, practically in my backyard!

The only unfortunate thing was that the first sighting occurred around the beginning of the week – which meant I had to wait until the weekend to try for the bird myself. I worried it would be long gone by the time Saturday rolled around.

I needn’t have worried. The bird was seen regularly throughout the week, and birders posted updates on each sighting and the location of the bird. It seemed at least one of the owls was staying put within a small area and was being seen reliably every day or so, barring inclement weather.

I drove out with a friend early Saturday morning. At first conditions didn’t look very promising; thick fog shrouded the spruce and pine, enveloping the surrounding forest in mystery. As we drove away from the river valley, however, the fog lifted and gave way to an incredible spring-like day.

Following directions given by other birders, we neared the area in which the owl was spotted. I scanned the treeline for a telltale silhouette but saw nothing. I didn’t realize I would most likely not see the obvious shape of an owl perched atop a tree. In fact, if it hadn’t been for the group of more experienced birders gathered near the area, I probably would have missed it altogether.

The owl was perched on a horizontal branch against the trunk of a white pine, about midway up the tree. It sat on the opposite side of the trunk, with its back turned toward us; about a quarter of its body was obscured by the tree. In this way, it blended right in, appearing at first to be part of the tree – until it turned its head right around and looked at us. Seen through the spotting scope, the piercing gaze of those yellow eyes was quite impressive.

We watched the owl for quite some time; it appeared to be pretty accepting of our presence, but I’m afraid this gave us too much complacency. Although we didn’t dare approach very closely, we did fan out across the grassy area bordering the forest in order to get a better view of the owl, perched, as it was, on the opposite side of the tree when viewed perpendicular from the road. As one birder later stated on the list-serve, we should have kept this key point in mind: the bird itself should come first.

The great gray owl breeds primarily in western Canada and Alaska, with smaller populations breeding in the northwestern United States. Their appearance in Maine means the prey base in their far northern homes has crashed. When this happens, they “irrupt” out of their normal ranges to find enough food to survive the winter. Such birds may be starving or near-starving, or at the very least, food-stressed; it is imperative they not be distracted from hunting, or disturbed enough to leave a roosting spot. The latter increases their chances of being mobbed by other bird species, such as crows or jays, which in turn decreases their likelihood of surprising and catching their prey, mainly small mammals and other rodents.

I’ll never forget my first sighting of a great gray owl. Hopefully, its visit here turns out to be as much of a bonus for itself as it is for us: that it finds enough food to sustain itself, travel back to its breeding grounds, and reproduce successfully.

Coming up: Feb 17-20 is the Great Backyard Bird Count. For more information, visit http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc.

NEWS bird columnist Chris Corio can be reached at bdnsports@bangordailynews.net