On this mild, cloudy day along the Colorado Front Range, I went out to explore our Littleton farm, looking for but hoping not to find problems that developed during my three-week absence. Fortunately, none were encountered but I was accompanied by a pleasing mix of birds, including cedar waxwings, a Say's Phoebe and a great horned owl.
The latter, trailed by an excited posse of chickadees, glided just overhead and landed in one of our piñon pines. Once his pursuers abandoned their harassment, the raptor moved to a nearby linden where his presence would be less noticeable within the heavy foliage. Sure enough, he remains there an hour later, unmolested by our local jays, crows and magpies.
Though we most often associate owls with cold, clear nights, they are occasionally active during the day, especially when low clouds (or the smoke from distant wildfires) block out the sun. Though our resident fox has decimated the cottontail population, there are plenty of mice and voles to keep this hunter around (not to mention the occasional skunk).
