Well, Owl Be…

By BJ Worth and Jake Bramante

Great Gray Owls are both fascinating and elusive.  Unique plumage adaptations allow them to fly in total silence and hide in plain sight, giving rise to their moniker of Great Gray Ghost.  Primarily residents of old growth forests, they have the greatest wingspan and longest body of any owl in North America.  When hunting prey, their concave faces serve as an echo-locator to assist them in finding voles and mice.  Ever elusive, even the most experienced birders are challenged to find Great Grays, and are awed when they observe these avian giants in the field. 

Great Gray Owls are known to virtually ignore humans. However, as local Flathead birders BJ Worth and Jake Bramante recently learned, there are exceptions!

BJ: This summer word floated around the birding community of a Great Gray Owl hunting fields outside of Whitefish. One morning I was fortunate to locate the owl, watch it hunt, and photograph it.  I texted fellow birder, Jake Bramante, to let him know what I was seeing.

The owl flew up and down a fence line, landing in the field, flying back up, perching, and repeating. The recently hayed fields were full of rodents, providing ample food for the owl to feed its hungry fledgling. After catching a vole, the adult would take the prey to its chick, who could be heard begging for food from the nearby woods.

Jake: I had heard about the Great Gray Owl and tried on an earlier occasion to find it, with no success. I was 40 minutes away when I received BJ’s text, but decided to give it a try. I was in luck. As I pulled up I saw BJ with his camera and tripod; the owl on a fence between us. I took numerous photos as the magnificent bird glided silently along the roadside, listening, dropping, and pouncing.

BJ: At one point the owl, while perched on the fence, turned, looked right at me, and took off in my direction. I snapped pictures as the distance between us closed; the owl’s eyes locked on me the whole time. Then I realized, “This owl might land on me!” I took a deep breath and exhaled, relaxing in preparation.

Jake: I saw the owl take off and head straight towards BJ. To my surprise, as it reached him the owl flared its wings and SETTLED ON HIS HEAD! I quickly pulled up my camera and caught one shot of BJ with his “Great Gray hat” before it flew off.  I couldn’t believe my good fortune at seeing and capturing the scene on camera.

Afterwards, we laughed and marveled at the crazy experience. I asked BJ if the owl’s super-long talons had dug into his scalp. He said the owl landed very lightly and, while he could feel the tips of the talons, they didn’t dig in. Truly a one-of-a-kind, human-bird interaction!