Posted under day trips & local birds
[IMPORTANT, please search for other blog entries on this topic, there are updates and other info.] Here’s a photo of the famous trailside Great Horned Owls in Berkeley: one adult on the nest, three chicks (one of them much smaller than the others), and the other adult was in a tree nearby. My wife and I and a friend walked up to see them this evening, around dusk. They are accessible from the Tanglewood Path, at the eastern end of Derby Street: walk up the path, turn left on the fire trail and follow it through one switchback. There is a sawhorse with a brief description of the owls and a request/warning to keep dogs on leash. Follow the trail past the sawhorse as it curves to the left and slants upwards. You’ll pass a big eucalyptus tree that is right up against the path on the right; this is the tree with the nest, but you won’t see anything if you look up. Walk another twenty or thirty yards, turn around, and voila! [Please read the rest of this entry by clicking below, and maybe visit another entry on this subject, http://www.creekcats.com/birdblog/?p=166. The main point is that people are bugging the owls (taking flash photos, making lots of noise, etc. Please don’t do that, and please say something to people who do.]
We stood and watched, and people would come by and ask what we were looking at, and we would show them. Everyone thought it was terrific. I do worry about what happens when the chicks leave the nest: lots of people were walking dogs off-leash, and the first time an owl ends up on the ground might be trouble. On the other hand, some of the dogs are pretty tiny and could conceivably be prey! (Great Horned Owls will take a cat or a very small dog). Anyway, it’s perhaps the best view you’ll ever get of young owls; go check it out before they fledge! But please, don’t bother them, just watch. Those of you from out of town, this could be the excuse to visit Berkeley that you’ve always wanted. Continuing up the trail will take you to a nice birding area, and when you come back down you’ll be just six or seven blocks from the pleasant Elmwood shopping/dining area.
Prasad on 11 Apr 2008 at 2:02 pm #
This is incredible! Thanks for the info and picture, Phil.
Felix on 11 Apr 2008 at 7:56 pm #
Such a gorgeous photo! I love getting to see evidence that wildlife finds a way to survive here despite the odds.
arun on 11 Apr 2008 at 8:43 pm #
So awesome! Those have to be some of the cutest chicks in the animal kingdom! Hooray for native wildlife!
diana on 14 Apr 2008 at 2:05 pm #
I went up there to hike the trail with my dad the other day and saw a lot of people standing around looking at them. This was obviously stressing out the parents who where swooping around. On top of that at dusk people were taking flash photos of the baby birds which was totally obnoxious. I love the birds and think people should be able to appreciate them but Please just look at them for a few minutes and then continue on your way. There are enough stresses in the world for a new family of owls.
Anya on 03 May 2008 at 10:20 pm #
Thanks for the pic! I went up to see the babies twice. Furst time, one of the parents was sitting on a nearby tree, high in the branches. All three babies were still in the nest, one of them much smaller than the other two. Yesterday, the small baby and one of the bigger siblings were out of the nest and sitting on the branch close to the nest. The third chick must have gone somehwere on his own! They were very cute, although they managed to nail me with a nice shot of poo and pee when I was walking back under the branch. Who knows, maybe I did something they didn’t like…:)
admin on 04 May 2008 at 10:57 am #
Anya, I was pretty worried about the smallest chick, so I’m glad to hear he’s still around, and I’ve heard that it seems to be doing a lot better now. As for the third chick, he might have moved somewhere else on the same tree, maybe way out on a branch. That would be standard procedure: Great horned owls leave the nest before they can fly! They just climb around for a week or two.
Sorry they nailed you with the poo, I wish they had hit one of the rude people instead!
–Phil
John K. on 20 Dec 2009 at 4:33 pm #
My wife and I saw one in our back yard this week — at dawn on the top of a sequoia tree — probably eying the kitties I just let out.
We could see it very clearly against the night sky and it sat there long enough to get the binoculars. This one was big -20 to 24 inches tall. Near the North Berkeley Bart. Large eucalyptus trees in the area too.
They are silent flyers — Very cool.
I think I’ve seen a shadow of this bird before - over the last 10 years — hunting rodents on the roof at night.
admin on 24 Jan 2010 at 9:36 pm #
John, it sounds like you’re kidding about the kitties, but this really is something to worry about! A great horned owl will take a small cat or kitten.
Also, I hope you’ll consider converting your cats into happy indoor cats, like mine. Check out my previous blog post on the subject.