The Elusive Daytime Flammy

In 20+ years of birding, I have seen probably close to 500 Flammulated Owls.  My guiding business has made it possible for me to see 50-100 of these almost every year the past decade.  But in that time I have only ever seen 1 adult away from a nest--and that was in May 2005 in central Colorado.  

Fast forward to yesterday when my buddy Kenny text me a picture of an Owl with the message, "This is a flammy, right?".

My response--"yep".

So, having seen hundreds of Flammy's and photographed dozens, I still am keenly obsessed with this bird--and daytime versions are even more of an addiction.  It wasn't long before I made my way to the park, and the tree where it was roosting.   Daytime Flammy, check.

I'm a sucker for this bird and always will be.

Perhaps the fact it stands just 6" tall is the driving force in my obsession?  Maybe the fact it's only reliably found in a few western states?  Perhaps, its that Utah might be the best place in the world to see them?  And maybe, just maybe it's because I happen to be really good at finding them at night, but have never found one during the day that really drives the daytime obsession?

I think even if I found 100 during the day, I'd still be a sucker for them every time...

Window Kill

This morning, Cam and I were watching cartoons when we heard a thud on one of the large windows over the living room.  I knew it was a bird impact, but Cam doesn't yet recognize the noise.  So we headed outside to see what we could find.  I was rather surprised when I looked below the window and saw my favorite bird laying lifeless.  A female Western Tanager had hit the window and died on impact.

I explained to Cam that birds hit windows because they see the reflection of the sky and can't tell the difference--it's called a window kill.  He was excited to see a bird so close, even though it was a live bird no more.  I always hate when I hear or see a window kill, but being able to look at a bird in the hand is a great learning experience.

Window kills could make for an interesting product design project...