Great Horned Owl - Perinton, NY

I have been trying to find and photograph an owl in New York State for years now. I have heard them a bunch – but always while hiking close to dark. However, I had never spotted any because…well, it was dark. 🙂 Then I finally saw one while hiking at sunrise yesterday morning. 🦉

I am always scanning the trees when I hike – hoping to find a raptor of some kind. I heard a group of crows cawing, and knew they were too far away to be unhappy about me. Knowing crows often harass raptors I scanned the trees in their direction…then, I saw the Great Horned Owl from a distance, and realized that is what the crows were unhappy about. Initially I was thrilled just to see it from far away – I used to see owls in South Carolina all the time, but had never seen an owl in New York State. I hoping to just get a picture from that distance – but the owl decided it had had enough of the crows, and left its perch. I was bummed, but luckily the owl actually flew toward me, and picked a new perch fairly close. I was lucky and thrilled to get these pictures, before the crows started dive-bombing the owl, and chased it off again.

I did not realize that great horned owls are actually predators of american crows, until I started poking around for this post. From “10 Owls in New York” on birdwatchingcentral.com: “If you hear American Crows cawing and screaming, they have probably located a Great Horned Owl and will continue mobbing it until it either tries to get away or the crows move out. Great Horned Owls are one of the crow’s biggest predators.”

After taking the pictures, and starting my hike back, a few people stepped out from behind trees…they explained that they were representatives from the “Secret Society of NY Owl Spotters”, and, since this was my first NY owl spotting, they came out to welcome me to the group, and show me the secret handshake. I always suspected this group existed, so it was amazing to finally become an official member. Everything is different now. 😀🦉🌞

Here are some un-cropped, un-edited photos: