Pouring rain, so What?

Saturday 6th January 2007 was wet, very wet, but that did not stop the birding albeit somewhat curtailed in the end by the rain then the wind.

Our choices had been to go for a Bullock's Oriole east of Quebec City (a Quebec tick) or go to see a Northern Hawk Owl. The oriole had not been seen on Friday so the owl it was.

We made our way somewhat gingerly due to the conditions to Brennan's Hill, about an hour north of Ottawa. The lanes the owl frequents were rough and very slippery due to the heavy rain and the visibility was greatly reduced by low cloud. On arrival we tried looking from the car but the rain just hammered onto the roof and we decided to park up and wait for a break. After about fifteen minutes a vision appeared on the lane and we were a little incredulous when a jolly bunch of local birders came past in a variety of wet weather gear. Shortly after passing us they located our quarry high in a bare tree and waved us to join them. We hastily donned the appropriate gear and enjoyed watching a rather soggy Northern Hawk Owl fluttering around a small woodlot, landing on appealingly photogenic stumps and showing us little regard.

I waited until everyone had had their fill and then found a gap in the mass of branches through which to point the camera lens. Shooting on manual at 1/25 in stair rod rain but under an attractive blue & white golf umbrella, I managed a handful of reasonable shots without causing the owl any distress whatsoever. In my experience this species is rarely interested in humans anyway.

On the way home we dropped into Parc Plaisance between Gatineau and Montreal and saw a distant Rough-legged Hawk and later a couple of Snowy Owls were still around St-Clet. Todays light exercise added four to the year list which now stands at 58.