Owling in Madera Canyon

A few words about searching for Owls. Looking for Owls is very different than other birds. First, as a general rule Owls are the color of tree trunks, except for Snowy Owls which are the color of ..... well, snow. And then of course there are Barn Owls, which not only aren't the color of barns, they really aren't much of a color of anything.  So, the Western Screech Owls that I was looking for in Madera Canyon are well camouflaged when sitting on a large tree branch, which of course is where they usually are during the day. They sit still so movement doesn't catch the eye. Also as a general rule they are silent during the day. So, you can't find them by movement. Nor can you find them by sound. You have to stop and scour each and every tree hoping to spot one. 

I started out Wednesday morning taking the Bog Spring Trail to the Four Spring Trail, walking the full length of the Four Spring Trail. Why? Well, because it had been reported that four Western Screech Owls had been seen on the Four Spring Trail two days prior. Upon reaching the end of the Four Spring Trail I decided to retrace my path hoping that maybe a different angle would produce a favorable result. (That has happened to me before. Once in Miller Canyon I was looking for Spotted Owls and on my return "spotted" one that I am sure was there when I passed the first time).  Anyway, as I got a quarter mile or so back up the mountain it started to rain  ..... HARD!  By the time I got back to my Jeep I was thoroughly drenched.

Although no luck on the Western Screech Owl Wednesday, the hike was nonetheless invigorating and inspiring. Here is a photo from a couple years ago of what I was looking for:

Western Screech Owl in nest in Sycamore Tree, Ramsey Canyon, Arizona