Northern Pygmy-owl east of Bishop

Observers: J. Zatorski
Email: jerryzat@yahoo.com
Remote Name: 65.244.205.238
Date: 01/06/2005
Time: 11:18 AM -0500

Sighting

A small Owl-like bird silently glided about 3' over my head as I was making my way to E. Line St. by S. fork Bishop Crk. It kindly landed in a cottonwood tree to my right where I was able to verify it as a No. Pygmy-owl. Small Owl, about the size of a Red-winged Blackbird, but with the stocky look typical of owls and the small raptor-like bill. The head was brownish-gray, the back of the head had eye spots seen when it first landed in the tree, the belly was light with vertical barring and the back was again brownish-gray. As I was on a morning run and it was a bit chilly, I couldn't stay to watch the bird more than a few minutes before I began to get too cold.