Coming face to face with a northern pygmy owl nearly 30 years ago while on my deck in the southwestern Montana mountains was one of my most memorable wildlife experiences ever. It was a snowy day in January, and the owl was hunting small songbirds eating at the feeder. I’ll never forget this first encounter that led me to begin documenting the life of this mini, yet mighty, forest predator. In this month’s Natural Note, a female makes her way to the entrance of her nest cavity in a hollowed-out aspen tree in northern Montana.
Owls are one of the most popular of all living creatures, and I’ve worked extensively with several species under the guidance of my good friend and world-renowned owl authority Denver Holt. Denver runs the Owl Research Institute, and if you want to know more about owls, the ORI website is the place to visit.
Help Denver continue his many owl research projects by donating to ORI. His snowy owl study, one I documented for National Geographic, is celebrating its 25th anniversary this summer season. Thanks to Denver’s ongoing commitment to quality research, we know more about one of the world’s most interesting and exciting species.