Great Horned Owl
I am writing to report my sighting of a Great Horned Owl. I saw it around 2:30 pm, Thursday, November 7th at Beavermead Park. I spotted it when my dog and I were walking through the campground. We walked under a large willow, spooked it, where it took to flight on silent wings, giving me a great view of it in flight. I then wandered to the area it had flown towards (on the other side of the creek) and observed it perched in a tall tree, driving all of the nearby chickadees and nuthatches into a frenzy of alarm calls. After perching there for about five minutes, he took to the air once again, returning to the original willow tree where I had spooked him. He perched there for at least 15 minutes, allowing me, and the Ecology Park staff to have a nice look, before he flew off down the creek and out of sight
During the week of Nov. 1-7, I also saw a Pileated Woodpecker and a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, also at Beavermead.
As I write this, I can also say that today (November 21) in my Tudor Crescent yard, I have had a flock of Cedar Waxwings, American Goldfinches, an American Robin, a female Hairy Woodpecker, and Northern Flicker. Also, while walking home, I saw a Great Blue Heron at Meade Creek, no doubt having trouble fishing through the few open spaces that remain on the icy creek.
Catherine Paradisis, Tudor Crescent
