z

birding blog

[zfotos]

january afternoon / 2024

[zfotos]

[zfotos]

october afternoon / 2025

last year, this long-eared owl found refuge in a pine tree right outside our window during a snow storm

[zfotos]

september evening / 2025

𖤐 personal field notes + tips on finding owls 𖤐

Tip #1: patience is virtue

patience is the most important quality to have when it comes to birding. attempting to find an owl is like searching for a needle in a haystack unless you already know where to look. do not expect to find one right away because chances are you might go home with no luck at all. it can take hours or days until you do. < patience = not giving up >

Tip #2: relying on your senses

listening > everything, i can’t stress it enough. it’s important to learn the different bird songs & vocals to help distinguish the species with just your ears. <owls usually call at dawn or all throughout the night, during mating season some will call throughout the day. remember, each owl species have their own unique calls. bonus: if you hear crows cawing than there’s a chance there’s an owl> our eye sight is a gift from God- use it to your advantage. train your eyes to notice insignificant movements, how to break camouflage, and be awfully observant. <owls tend to sit still for hours and do micro-movements as to not be noticed. their plumage helps them camouflage with their surroundings so it’s also important to become familiar with their feather patterns and the owls body shape (owls come in different shapes & sizes). thankfully owls leave behind bread crumbs for example: white wash on trees, pellets, feathers, & dead animal scraps>

Tip #3: get to know your owls

i’ve had people ask me “how do i find an owl?” i always suggest starting by doing research :] a lot of people don’t know that there are approximately 150 different owl species in the world (about 19 species in North America alone) so researching the types of owls in your area will be the first step. it is very important to learn about their habitats, their ideal environments, behaviors, whether they are species of concern, sensitivity level, etc. applying this knowledge to the respective owl species keeps you from causing any harm or distress to the owls considering each one is unique. it protects them, respects their habitat, and allows you to easily recognize them in the wild. (a person with no such knowledge can cause involuntary harm to these birds as each individual species is different and vary in sensitivity)

Tip #4 resources & birding community

there is so much information out there on owls & tons of field guides to take advantage of. birding apps < Audubon, Cornell, Merlin > will be your best friends (i use the ebird app religiously) Merlin app helps identify birds just by songs. get yourself a bird book and reach out to your local wildlife nature centers for birding events. I highly recommend: networking, diving into birding communities, and most importantly go out in the field- it is the best way to meet other birders. a huge community of birders and bird photographers exists out there; i found my group through my birding expeditions, but also found them tucked away in facebook birding groups and online spaces.

- Audubon app: identify birds, field guides, shows you locations where birds were last spotted

- Cornell app: bird locations, checklist, pinpoints

- Merlin bird ID app: Identify birds by song or photo

[zfotos]

september afternoon / 2025

i’ve been watching this screech owl for the past five years, and just last year i discovered it has another tree cavity it likes to roost in. i’m shocked to see it still lives in these woods, considering it has great horned owls as neighbors—but i don’t blame it. the woods are quiet and undisturbed. they surround this eerily peaceful cemetery, which gives the forest a warm welcome. nearby a small stream winds through the woods, offering the forest and the owls another source of subsistence.

[zfotos]

𖤐 my collection of waterfowls 𖤐

[zfotos]

[zfotos]

[zfotos]

[zfotos]

[zfotos]

before the storm

[zfotos]

mountain view

[zfotos]

somewhere in the backroads of Colorado

[zfotos]

May midnight / 2024

aurora engulfed the sky & danced throughout the night

[zfotos]

𖤐 cuteness overload: screech owls snoozing 𖤐

𖤐 brown morph 𖤐

this screech owl is extremely shy so i consider myself lucky when i find it sitting at the door steps of its cubby hole, sunbathing. it lives in a beautiful cemetery with a pair of great horned owls as its neighbors.

𖤐 red morph 𖤐

this one got evicted from its tree cavity by a squirrel. the owl hasn’t bothered to claim it back.

𖤐 gray × red morph 𖤐

my very first pair of screech owls, i only got to visit them twice. their tree was located behind some houses at a dead end street. the following year their tree was cut down due to heavy human traffic; bird photographers blocked the street for hours, even parking behind peoples homes. it was very unfortunate, i couldn’t help but feel like i was apart of the problem.

𖤐 red morph 𖤐

one of my regulars. i believe this tree cavity might be its very favorite; its always there patrolling its territory.

[zfotos]

March afternoon / 2024

my obsession: hyper fixating on owls. appreciating their beautiful yet disturbing nature.

[zfotos]

May morning / 2024

the morning sunlight kissed this beautiful barred owl goodnight