GLAUCIDIUM GNOMA

Pygmy Owl Photography

Pygmy Owls may be small, but they have an extraordinary amount of character. They remind me somewhat of the Little Owls we have in the UK — perhaps their slightly more formidable Canadian cousin. Despite their size, they are remarkably fierce hunters and are capable of taking surprisingly large prey.

I photographed Pygmy Owls in Calgary, Canada, during the breeding season. For much of the week they seemed determined to give us the runaround, remaining high in the forest where we could hear them calling but rarely manage to actually see them. We knew there was at least one pair in the area communicating with each other, so it became a case of patience and persistence.

One morning our luck finally changed when we found the female sitting low on a branch beside the road and calling. Without warning, the male appeared on the branch alongside her and the pair proceeded to mate. Unfortunately, I had chosen exactly that moment to walk away from my camera while trying to find a better view — a decision I immediately regretted!

I missed that particular photograph, but moments later the male flew away and the female moved into a small hole in a nearby dead tree. I was able to capture several frames of her peering out from the entrance, bringing an incredibly memorable encounter to an end — and providing a useful reminder never to wander too far from the camera when something might be about to happen.

The gallery below brings together some of my favourite Pygmy Owl images from Canada, all photographed ethically and without baiting.