South Fork
Provo Canyon
28 Jan 2012
Utah County, Utah
(E-mails from Tanner Poe, 28 Jan 2012)
Today Mark Thal and I headed south to try
and find the pygmy owl that Eric Huish had reported in South Fork. We
parked at the Big Springs
parking lot and began looking around. We ran into Jeff Cooper and Eric
Huish for a minute who were just passing through. We walked up the road a
little ways and it wasn't long before we heard some tooting. Sure enough
there was a little guy up in the top of some aspens right across the road
from the first house on your left as you head up the road from the parking
lot. He was very vocal. After some good looks we were heading back down
the road where we found a second owl. He was on a branch right over the
road. We watched him for quite some time. He was watching the ground right
by the creek for a few minutes and then dove. We heard a squeal and he
lifted off with a mouse in his talons. He proceeded to enjoy his lunch in
our company. We didn't have the camera with us to catch the feast but got
some good post meal shots. We also saw a golden eagle way up on the side
of the mountain.
Good birding,
Tanner Poe
E-mails from J. Peter Maughan, 29 Jan 2012)
I went up South Fork Provo Canyon around
1pm today to find the No. Pygmy Owl. My thought was that something so
small could never be found again. I drove up past Big Springs parking lot
past the first house on the left and that is when I saw the owl as it fell
off. I parked in the equestrian parking and scanned the trees with my
binoculars. To my surprise I found it eating a field mouse. I hiked up the
hill and took a couple pics...not good ones but enough to identify it. I
have attached a couple. Thank you everyone who first spotted the owl and
provided detailed locations.
Enjoy the wild!
J. Peter Maughan
First
three photos
by Tanner Poe and last three by J. Peter Maughan
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