Rare Owl Alert

Airedale1 · 12-20-2010, 09:11 AM

Last January in Center Harbor I had the good fortune to be able to capture an image of a species of owl called the Northern Hawk Owl. This Owl created quite a buzz in the NH birding community as this was the first sighting of a Northern Hawk Owl since 1997 in NH. Birders came from all over to view this Owl and the story was carried on WMUR, NECN and the Boston Globe.

Once again this month there have been possible sightings reported in and around Moultonborough. Keep your eyes open.

This is my favorite species of Owl. They hunt in the daylight and they feed primarily on mice and voles. Their behavior is quite different from most of our native owls. For example they are very tolerant of humans and they do not allow other birds to mob or harass them. Also, they will cache their kill if they are not hungry and eat it later when they are. It derives the “hawk” part of its name from its falcon like wing shape, feather coloration and long tail.

They have unbelievable eyesight. A Northern Hawk Owl can spot a vole moving on the ground from 800 yards away. Below is one of the images I captured of the Northern Hawk Owl in Center Harbor last January.

Lakesrider · 12-20-2010, 10:08 AM

Oh suuuuureeeeee...Mr Owl, picture taker, you!

Nice pic and nice catch on the rare bird. I'll keep my eyes open, but heck, for some reason, I never get to see Owls much. Let alone a rarer species....

hilltopper · 12-20-2010, 12:24 PM

Reading up a bit on this owl it seems that this bird is easily a few hundred miles south of it's normal range. I wonder how much the lack of snow cover has to do with it's arrival in this area? Snow cover starts/ends at Franconia Notch at the moment so it's almost like this fella flew until he stopped seeing snow so he could more easily hunt for his favorite critters...

donnamatrix · 12-20-2010, 03:05 PM

Airedale: Great shot. I got to see that owl many days when he was here... he was in that old tree across from Canoe's restaurant, next to the big open field. The folks at the gas station in CH had some great shots too. So pretty.

Lucy Goose · 01-04-2011, 05:20 PM

I saw one flying and landing a few weeks ago in Moultonboro just before the Tuftonboro line. I was thrilled to see it, but P'O'd I didn't have my camera on me.

Lucy Goose

12-20-2010, 09:11 AM	#1
Airedale1 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Laconia Posts: 595 Thanks: 557 Thanked 1,569 Times in 274 Posts	Rare Owl Alert Last January in Center Harbor I had the good fortune to be able to capture an image of a species of owl called the Northern Hawk Owl. This Owl created quite a buzz in the NH birding community as this was the first sighting of a Northern Hawk Owl since 1997 in NH. Birders came from all over to view this Owl and the story was carried on WMUR, NECN and the Boston Globe. Once again this month there have been possible sightings reported in and around Moultonborough. Keep your eyes open. This is my favorite species of Owl. They hunt in the daylight and they feed primarily on mice and voles. Their behavior is quite different from most of our native owls. For example they are very tolerant of humans and they do not allow other birds to mob or harass them. Also, they will cache their kill if they are not hungry and eat it later when they are. It derives the “hawk” part of its name from its falcon like wing shape, feather coloration and long tail. They have unbelievable eyesight. A Northern Hawk Owl can spot a vole moving on the ground from 800 yards away. Below is one of the images I captured of the Northern Hawk Owl in Center Harbor last January. __________________ "The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit." Nelson Henderson (1865-1943)

12-20-2010, 03:05 PM	#4
donnamatrix Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Moultonboro Posts: 833 Thanks: 24 Thanked 258 Times in 120 Posts	I hope the owl is back Airedale: Great shot. I got to see that owl many days when he was here... he was in that old tree across from Canoe's restaurant, next to the big open field. The folks at the gas station in CH had some great shots too. So pretty.

The Following 6 Users Say Thank You to Airedale1 For This Useful Post:
jkjoshuatree (12-20-2010), Jonas Pilot (12-20-2010), Lakesrider (12-20-2010), Nagigator (12-20-2010), Newbiesaukee (12-20-2010), Pepper (12-21-2010)

12-20-2010, 10:08 AM	#2
Lakesrider Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 2,129 Thanks: 380 Thanked 1,016 Times in 345 Posts	Oh suuuuureeeeee...Mr Owl, picture taker, you! Nice pic and nice catch on the rare bird. I'll keep my eyes open, but heck, for some reason, I never get to see Owls much. Let alone a rarer species....

12-20-2010, 12:24 PM	#3
hilltopper Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Meredith Posts: 716 Thanks: 25 Thanked 105 Times in 66 Posts	Reading up a bit on this owl it seems that this bird is easily a few hundred miles south of it's normal range. I wonder how much the lack of snow cover has to do with it's arrival in this area? Snow cover starts/ends at Franconia Notch at the moment so it's almost like this fella flew until he stopped seeing snow so he could more easily hunt for his favorite critters...

01-04-2011, 05:20 PM	#5
Lucy Goose Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 228 Thanks: 29 Thanked 108 Times in 29 Posts	I saw one flying and landing a few weeks ago in Moultonboro just before the Tuftonboro line. I was thrilled to see it, but P'O'd I didn't have my camera on me. Lucy Goose