Pygmy Owls remind me of Little Owls we get in the UK; but the cooler older brother.! They have the attitude of a Little Owl and some.  Known to be ferocious hunters and ive seen images of them with prey almost the same size as the owl.

I saw Pygmy Owl’s in Calgary in Canada.  All week these owls were giving us the run around; staying high up in the forest and all we could do is hear their calls.  It was mating season and we knew there was at least one pair communicating with each other.

On one lucky morning we saw the female sat low down in a branch by the road; she was calling and out on nowhere the male appeared on the branch next to her and they proceeded to mate.  At this point I was cursing as id walked away from my camera trying to find a better view of her.

I missed the mating shot but he immediately flew away and she flew into a small hole in a dead tree just next to us and I was able to grab a couple of frames of her with her head poking out of the hole.  An amazing wildlife encounter and next time I will be more cautious about walking away from my camera…

Pygmy owls belong to the genus Glaucidium and are distributed worldwide. These small owls come in various species, some of which are called “owlets.” They exhibit diverse habits, including nocturnal, diurnal, and crepuscular behavior. Their diet mainly consists of large insects and other small prey. Notably, the Eurasian pygmy owl (Glaucidium passerinum) is Europe’s smallest owl, found in boreal forests from Northern Europe to Siberia.