Twitcher – A birder, or bird-watcher, who is willing to go to great lengths to see any bird species he hasn’t previously recorded, even traveling extensive distances at great expense to see a new lifer.
Living here, in the Queendom, has many perks that we never anticipated. One of those perks is the incredible variety of bird species who stop in. We have the typical Pacific Northwest birds – like the Junco, Chickadee, Nuthatch and Red Finch. We also have many ducks who frequent our pond – Mallards, Buffleheads and Mergansers. Our bird of prey varietals are also plentiful – Bald Eagle, Red Tail Hawk and Turkey Vulture.
But occasionally, we are treated to something unusual; something that stumps us for a while. It is a treat to watch, research and eventually figure out who the latest visitor is. This month, a Great Grey Owl has decided to call our Queendom ‘home’.
In certain light, her feathers look similar to a Barred Owl.
She is magnificent to watch. Although her slate blue plumage is stunning, she is a perfect chameleon, invisible among the mixed forest unless she turns her head.
She is perfectly camouflaged against this cedar bark. Invisible!
She appears small, for an owl, until she drops from her branch and spreads her 5+foot wing span. Her tail is long and her mustaches are white.
Her wing span is a window to her true size.
But the true treat of having been graced with her visit is that she is an uncommon sighting on Vancouver Island. Birders, or Twitchers as they like to be called, have been known to travel inland, over the Coastal Mountain range and North, towards 100 Mile House, (a 7 to 9 hour trip) in order to see this bird. From what we have read, a Vancouver Island sighting is exceedingly rare. Yet she has been hanging out at the Queendom for over a month now. Our chicken flock can spot her long before we can and they live in crazed anxiety much of the time. Since they are free-ranging chickens, she sees them but seems uninterested in them. Instead, she is feasting on smaller fare – mice or voles who live out in our wild area.
A look of true concentration before the kill.
My biggest concern is that our precious visitor will be discovered by some twitchers and our Queendom will become a twitching ground.
Only she knows how long she will stay with us. I hope she is enjoying her escape from routine as much as we are.
Terry said,
March 18, 2016 @ 7:38 am
Beautiful! Have you ever seen the movie “The Big Year”? I think you would enjoy it.
Gail said,
March 18, 2016 @ 12:35 pm
Love your description of the ‘new’ visitor to your Queendom! Hope you can keep her visit a ‘secret’ for quite awhile or for as long as she stays in your area. Please keep me posted. Hugs.
Jennifer said,
March 20, 2016 @ 4:59 pm
I love reading your blog. Your newest visitor is gorgeous.