As I was riding my bike through some local areas (Durham Region, Ontario), it was snowy/rainy and pretty miserable, but the birds of prey were all out!
First, I came across a Red-Tailed Hawk just chilling on a fence.
So chill that I was able to ride right by them without even getting a flinch.
Then as I’m heading home through a bike path that cuts through a small local forest, I see a Barred Owl (OP photo). This is the first time seeing an owl up close in the wild, despite knowing they are in the area. The only other time I’ve seen an Owl in the wild was on a very dark trail at night, and they flew into my line of sight just fast enough for me to catch a glimpse (later confirmed to be an owl from my bike’s camera).
As I’m taking photos of this guy, I switch to video mode. He’s relaxed, then starts darting his head around, looking up… then I see a Cooper’s Hawk fly over head, land in a tree next to this one, and starts calling like crazy! He flew off shortly after, and I caught this (the owl is in the tree on the right):
I generally seek out birds of prey, but am rarely lucky enough to spot one in the course of a day. Seeing three different species in a matter of hours is super rare for me!
Mad jealous! I never see raptors close enough for a pic.
Been a few months since I saw an osprey. 100’ away and still spooked him trying to get a look through my rifle scope.
Barred owls everywhere, never seen one.
Got up close on a pelican from our canoe! Not terribly exciting.
Osprey are my favourite, and I know several spots where they hang out, so I tend to get a very close look over the warmer months.
We’ve had bald eagle sightings in the area, and while I’ve seen them in passing (never while I have a camera, of course), I have yet to get one perched.
I don’t see Red-tailed hawks too often, although they are common in the area. But when I do see them, they tend to be really chill in front of the camera!
Pelicans! That’s not something I’d ever see here. Very cool!
Pelicans are super common, nobody cares around here. But damn, they’re like pterodactyls!
If you go to the downtown bay where guys fish, you can literally trip over them hanging out looking for dropped bait, like a medium-sized dog, sitting there in punting distance, no fear, giving you the side-eye: “I can swallow you. Whole.”
I saw a Barred owl yesterday too! Apparently a family of them recently lost their home (tree cut down) somewhere around Hudson, QC.
Edit: just saw that you had included general location. Probably a bit too far to be related.
Great photos and story!
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