Nature smart by Stan Tekiela

Northern Pygmy Owl

Stone cold killer predators come in all shapes and sizes in the natural world. However, I think we often think of large menacing critters with long sharp claws and razor-sharp teeth as predators and don’t give a second thought to small predators. Some of these small predators are often cute and adorable. That’s what makes them so cool.

I was thinking about this a week or so ago while I was photographing and adorable tiny owl. But behind the beautiful feathers lies the heart of a predator. The Northern Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium californicum) is a tiny owl that is native to western North America. As its name implies, it is a tiny owl, only 6-7 inches tall and weighs about 2-3 ounces. By comparison, the very familiar American Robin is 10 inches tall and weighs about the same as the Pygmy Owl.

I arrived in Yellowstone National Park a couple days before I was scheduled to lead a winter photo tour. I had a couple days to meet up with some other photo guides and get caught up on the latest info about the wolves in the park, but everyone was talking about the Northern Pygmy Owls that seemed to be popping up throughout the park.

So, on the second day I spotted one of the tiny owls up on a mountain side. I grabbed my longest lens and tripod and started climbing up the mountain side. The snow was only a foot or so deep, so it wasn’t too bad, but the elevation was over 7,000 feet and I wasn’t acclimated yet. So, I had to stop many times to catch my breath, look around to get my bearings and keep climbing. Every now and then I would stop and visually relocate the owl.

When I finally reached the area just below the owl, I was breathing so heavily that I couldn’t take any pictures. Several minutes later, I was able to slow down my breathing and focus my camera. What I saw in my viewfinder was the cutest, tiniest, owl with bright yellow eyes.

To read all of Stan’s story, see the back page of the Messenger!