Hold up your hand in front of you and clench your fist. That is how big a Northern Pygmy-owl is : ) They are beautiful, cute - and ferocious hunters. Sometimes, you see a small cluster of dead leaves or a wasp's nest hanging from a distant branch and your heart starts to beat faster with excitement. Then, usually, comes the disappointment when you realize that it's not a tiny Northern Pygmy-owl after all. Zoomed in and greatly cropped, this is just a poor quality shot, but I wanted to add it to my albums, just for the record.

The morning of 21 November 2017 was cold and very overcast and I really did not feel like going out at all. However, I'm so glad I pushed myself out the front door, and joined friends for a birding walk in Fish Creek Park. I/we can't take any credit for finding this tiny owl, as we came across a lone photographer standing with his camera lens pointed upwards. I don't know if this owl was the same as the one I photographed on 9 November 2017, in a different part of the park.

"The Northern Pygmy-Owl may be tiny, but it’s a ferocious hunter with a taste for songbirds. These owls are mostly dark brown and white, with long tails, smoothly rounded heads, and piercing yellow eyes. They hunt during the day by sitting quietly and surprising their prey. As a defensive measure, songbirds often gather to mob sitting owls until they fly away. Mobbing songbirds can help you find these unobtrusive owls, as can listening for their call, a high-pitched series of toots." From AllAboutBirds. They also love Meadow Voles.

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pygmy-Owl/id

"This Northern Pygmy-Owl appears to have eyes in the back of its head. But why? One theory is that large false eyes may create the illusion that the owl is much bigger than its 6 and 3/4-inch size. A more current theory is that the false eyes help protect the pygmy-owl's true eyes. Small birds will mob this diurnal owl, even striking it, directing some attacks at its eyes. If the large false eyes can take the brunt of these attacks, little harm will come to the Pygmy-Owl's vulnerable true eyes." From birdnote.org.

birdnote.org/show/pygmy-owls-false-eyes