Northern pygmy-owl, Chaffee County

[Mark Obmascik]

After years of searching, I finally discovered the secret to finding a northern pygmy-owl in Colorado: I stopped looking for it. While loading up the car today at 9 a.m. after a nice visit with friends near Salida, I heard poot-ing, then saw the bird, atop a Ponderosa in a snowy gully at 8,000 feet filled with a mix of aspen, spruce, and pines.

Over the years, I have tried but failed to see a non-staked-out northern pygmy-owl near Dolores, Pagosa Springs, Montrose, Aspen, and Fraser. The northern pygmy-owl now joins the white-tailed ptarmigan atop my list of Colorado birds that are easiest to find when I'm not specifically looking for them. Next time I want to find a northern pygmy-owl, I will throw a suitcase into the car, slam shut the trunk, and wait for the bird to call back. 

If anyone wants to see the limits of a Canon SX-50 at 1200mm on a backlit subject with about a 1/32 crop, a pic is linked below. This bird is so magical that it displays a vivid blue halo.

http://s873.photobucket.com/user/mobmascik/media/Moab%20scan/Northernpygmy-owlbest1of1_zpse51cade0.jpg.html?filters[user]=107152405&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=1

Good birding,

Mark Obmascik

Denver, CO