New Yard Bird, N. Pygmy-Owl, Estes Park, Larimer Co.

[Jim Nelson]

Enjoying a nice late October visit to Colorado and the unseasonably warm weather, we had a nice surprise as we ate lunch today on the deck of our vacation home in Estes Park. As we finished lunch we realized Pygmy Nuthatches and Mountain Chickadees were fussing high in a ponderosa pine by our deck. It was obvious they were mobbing something, and we finally saw a small bird move to another ponderosa followed by the mob. When we got our binoculars on it, we were surprised to see a Northern Pygmy-Owl. The bird was calmly eating a small gray rodent, probably a mouse or vole, ignoring the mob. Eventually the mob settled down. Several more times during the afternoon, the mobbing started again, and we saw the owl in various trees. Still hanging around just a little while ago.


Quite the unexpected sighting.


Jim Nelson
Bethesda, Maryland