Frigid but worth it!
Yesterday I finally decided to get up and out and face the frigid mornings we have been having and head to Silvio. When I arrived the windchill was 12 degrees and the wind was howling…. brrrr!!! I chose Silvio because I knew I would have some protection from the winds as I planned on spending my time doing the loop. Of course I was hoping to start the New Year with an owl sighting and I really thought the frigid temperatures just might do the trick…So come along with me as we brave the temps and the howling winds to start the New Year.
I was covered from top to bottom… including a face mask and ski goggles. Ever since I got a little frostbite on my nose tracking down the Snowy Owls in Jan and Feb of 2022 in Provincetown, I have had to be extra careful. Basically I look like I am heading out for an adventure in Antarctica!
I made my way to the area where I saw the Barred the last time I was at Silvio… no luck, so I kept going. It had been quite some time since I had seen the gray Screech at Silvio and I really had a feeling he might just be sitting in his hole…. and he was!
As soon as I took this shot a flock of Blue Jays flew towards his tree and he dropped right down into his hole!
Seeing the Screech, even for just a split second, had made braving the cold worth it. I continued on and I was thinking that I would likely only do one loop as it was soooo cold…. It was very quiet other than the howling wind. The sky was filled with early morning clouds and I just kept hoping the sun would pop through before I left. I kept scanning high and low along the loop just hoping I would also see a Barred. The sun poked out just as I was going through the first stand of the very tall pine trees so I went very slowly through this area just hoping a Great Horned might be way up top in one of the trees... This section is where I spotted a Great Horned a couple of years ago so I am always hoping that it will happen again - no luck this particular morning. But you know I will keep trying…
As I came to the end of the loop I decided I could make one more loop so I started going around again. The temperature had not warmed up one bit and the winds were picking up even more. It was so cold that I knew there was no way that I would be doing the loop a third time!
There is an area along the loop that I have always thought that someday I would see a Barred hunting … it is wetlands and there are great snags for a Barred to perch on and survey the high grasses below. As I approached that area I slowed down to try and get as good a view as possible through all of the branches, twigs and vines. As I was looking to my left a huge gust of wind blew through and guess who I spotted getting her feathers blown around like crazy???
I thought to myself… if this owl can endure this weather so can I!
Incredible!
As soon as the wind died down she was right back to paying attention to the world beneath her…
I then looked up as I some sunlight starting to break through the clouds. I decided to try and see if I could get a different vantage point as this one was very difficult as I was getting whipped by branches and twigs when the winds were blowing. As I kept along the path I lost sight of her but knew that there is a very small path behind where she was and I was hoping I could find an opening to position behind her. I was also hoping for some backlighting as the sun kept popping in and out and I was likely going to end up in the tangled mess directly behind her looking directly into the sun. I eventually found a very small opening that I could look through and be totally hidden by the thickets…. And the sun just popped through as the biting winds roared through again!
Incredible!
Here she is just before she exploded off of her perch swooping downwards and was immediately out of my view!
I picked up my camera and tripod as quickly as possible while trying to see if she was still close… I knew there was an opening for me if I kept walking to my right. Just as my view opened up I found her again!
I had only one tiny spot to be in to get this view - I couldn’t move right or left as I had all kinds of trees, branches, and thickets everywhere…. The following shots are over a span of an hour… She endured the temps so I did too…
How beautiful is she?
And then back to enjoying the sun…
I was very, very cold by now and I can’t tell you how hard it was for me to leave but I knew that I needed to.. II left walking to my right so that I could snap this last shot for you from this angle. I just love how it shows her facing the sun in order to help her endure the frigid temps in order to just keep at it…