Popcan-sized cutie

Note added on 15 April 2015 - I have been having a real problem with posting photos to ipernity from Flickr the last week. Every once in a while, a photo will post on the first try, but the rest of the time, I have to make several tries before it is successful, or the photo just won't work. Really annoying, and I have no idea why this is happening.

This photo was taken on 24 February 2015, when I called in at Fish Creek Park to see if anyone had been able to find the tiny, popcan-sized Northern Pygmy-owl(s). I was in luck and, although the light was bad, the little owls put on quite a performance. This included a few things that I had missed on other days, such as an owl perched on a fence post, and both owls very briefly sitting on a branch for just a few seconds, side by side. Unfortunately, I was standing the "wrong" side of the tree, so only saw them from behind. Luckily, the female did turn her head for just a moment. There is quite an obvious difference in colour with this pair, with the male being a more rusty colour, and he's smaller than the female. There were long periods of waiting in between the various bits of activity, so one needs a huge amount of patience : )

"Northern Pygmy Owls are 'sit and wait' predators, that hunt mainly by vision, diving down onto prey on the ground and driving the talons into the prey's throat. They will also attack birds in shrubs, crashing into the hapless victims. Most prey is carried off in the feet to feeding sites. Birds are usually plucked before being consumed. They often eat only the brains of birds and the soft abdomen of insects. One of these little owls can carry prey weighing up to 3 times its own weight.

The Northern Pygmy Owl feeds on a wide range of small prey including small mammals, birds, and reptiles and amphibians. Voles make up the bulk of their diet, with birds comprising most of the rest (mainly songbirds, but as large as a California Quail). Other small mammals include shrews, mice, chipmunks, bats, moles, young rabbits, and weasels. Insects may be very important when they are most abundant. Other prey taken are toads, frogs and small lizards and snakes.

During winter, surplus prey is cached in a cavity, often in large quantities. Summer caches are usually much smaller.

Pellets are very small, averaging about 3cm long. They are formed only occasionally as these owls don't consume large amounts of fur, feathers, or bone. The pellets tend to fall apart shortly after ejection." From OwlPages.

www.owlpages.com/owls.php?genus=Glaucidium&species=ca...