Re: [SBB] Cattle Egret & Short-eared Owl

["Garrett Lau" <[[email protected]]>]

When I arrived at the Palo Alto Duck Pond at 4:28pm today, the Cattle Egret was at the base of the palm trees closest to the shore. Five minutes later, it flew up to the lowest palm tree near the fence. The surrounding palms were occupied by Black-crowned Night Herons (at least 8).  I watched it for 40 minutes before moving on to Byxbee Park. Two birders with scopes saw a Short-Eared Owl flying over the far side of the marsh, but I didn't see it.

 

The Cattle Egret has some faint breeding plumage on the crown, back, and breast. My photos of it are at:

http://www.pbase.com/garrettlau/cattleegret

 

--Garrett

 

On 2/4/07, [[email protected]] < [[email protected]]> wrote:

All,

 

At 3:45 this afternoon the CATTLE EGRET flew in over the Palo Alto Duck Pond and landed in the northwestern corner near the shore and a couple palm trees.  It then took a drink and tried to clean something dark from it's bill by rubbing it on the cement edge of the pond (you could say that it looked like a Pied-billed Egret at that point).  It then set about preening for the next 20 minutes and with time the dark area on the bill became a light gray and covered with fine feathers, the material on the bill clearly being very sticky.  Ten to fifteen minutes later the CAEG flew up into a palm near the eastern fence, it seemed to be getting away from two battling MALLARDS more than anything else.  I then went to Byxbee Park where at 5:07 PM I located a SHORT-EARED OWL flying low over the Palo Alto Flood Control Basin.  For the next nine minutes I had excellent scope views of the Owl, in good light, as it first flew over the southern half of the marsh and back, harassed a perched NORTHERN HARRIER and then flew high over Matadero Creek to the fenced-in Palo Akto Land Fill.  After hunting there along a pipe of some sort it then turned south and flew on over the hill and out of sight.  The Owl was constantly in flight and made at least five unsuccessful strikes while I was watching.  It was nice pay-back for two earlier tries (morning and an early evening) that failed.

 

Take care,

Bob Reiling        

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