For the last five years running I have been taking part in a nationwide survey of nocturnal raptors . Many unforgettable moments with Tawny Owls, Barn Owls and occasionally a Little Owl, but never a Pygmy Owl, as there aren’t any in Creuse. Or not yet anyway…..as this species is gradually expanding its range.
The Smallest European Owl
The Eurasian Pygmy Owl is the smallest European owl. I love all owls, but its size combined with the expressive body language of this tiny raptor make it particularly attractive and endearing. In appearance it looks a bit like a miniature version of its bigger cousin, the Little Owl. Its body only measures between 16 and 18 cm and it has a wingspan between 34 and 36 cm. Roughly the size of a starling, but with a stockier build, it is nevertheless a terrifying predator of mice and small birds. Whilst it is mainly crepuscular, hunting by dusk and dawn, it remains one of the most diurnal owl species, in particular during the mating and the breeding seasons. Its staple diet consists of small rodents such as voles and mice as well as a variety of passerine birds. Unsurprisingly its presence is often betrayed by the angry mobbing of various songbirds.
Otherwise it is rather inconspicuous and can often go unnoticed for many years. Its prime habitat is old growth pine forest, preferably well structured with clearings or meadows and a substantial number of mature trees with old woodpecker cavities. These cavities, in particular those of the Great Spotted Woodpecker, are used as nests for breeding. In France the species breeds in the Alps, the Jura mountains and the Vosges mountains. Sightings of individual birds have also been recently recorded in the Puy de Dôme département and the Massif Central, but as yet no sign of them in Creuse.
When I came across the 2-day workshop offered by Stéphanie and David Allemand back in August last year, I hurried to grab the last available spot for June 2019, even if it meant waiting for a while before meeting my first Pygmy Owl.
A couple of months later, a stroke of pure luck, a last-minute spot became available on one of their autumn workshops in November. Needless to say I didn’t hesitate for a minute! Soon after I was on my way South to the French Alps.
We are 6 in the group, the others are a group of old friends from Alsace and as always, the fact that I come from Creuse is greeted with wild laughter.
First Encounter with the Pygmy Owl
The next morning we set off early. At this time of the year the male birds regularly roam and patrol their homerange in order to defend it against any potential competitors. They tend to perch on top of a tall tree, often a pine and call at regular intervals, making it relatively easy to detect them. Yet their territories can be huge, and despite the fact that our local contact Marco has spent many days scouting before our arrival, the search still ressembles trying to find a needle in a haystack. Unfortunately we are not very lucky with the weather, big menacing clouds hang in the sky above us. Marco and David have gone ahead trying to locate a calling male while we wait in a little clearing.
I am surprised to find that our mini-raptor doesn’t keep us waiting for long. Curious and not particularly shy it approaches to check what we are up to in its territory. Even without sunshine the autumn colours of the larch trees around us are spectacular and we can’t wait to take our first shots of the Pygmy Owl in this setting. We attempt to track it on the ground, but with our heavy gear this proves to be rather tricky.
Trying to scramble through dense undergrowth up and down steep slopes with, in my case, 5 or 6 kilos on the shoulder, quickly make me abandon the tripod, far too heavy and unwieldy for this kind of operation. By the time one has dragged the equipement up the rocky slope, through shrubs, across fallen tree trunks and slippery roots, the tiny owl has already moved on to its next perch. The others have even heavier lenses and backpacks than myself. We don’t take long to learn that if you want to capture the little predator on camera you need to be quick. Although not shy, it has an agenda of its own, and once reassured that we are no threat, it moves on as if we didn’t exist. Tracking turns out to be a rather exhausting activity!
After a picknick lunch in the rain to recharge our batteries we are off on another trail overlooking a colourful valley. We are in luck. Despite the grim weather a male bird perches not far from us and starts calling. The autumn colours are beautiful, but with the dark sky there is only very little light and getting decent shots is not easy. Our tiny raptor makes us work hard for every image, no time to catch one’s breath trying to keep up with him! I have no idea what distance we ended up covering that afternoon, endlessly picking our way up and down steep mountain slopes, but by the time the sun goes down we are all exhausted. And yet, we shouldn’t be the ones complaining, Marco and David have managed at least double. Even though I expect my pictures to be seriously suffering from noise, I am over the moon about having been able to follow the tiny owl all day.
Valérie has prepared a delicious copious stew for our dinner, much appreciated after the days efforts. And a great way to round off a successful first day.
Day 2
Unfortunately the weather still hasn’t improved. We set off in the rain, today we’ll be trying another site. I certainly know what I will be ordering for Christmas: a large umbrella! Luckily Stéphanie is happy to share hers for now…. I really love this forest, it is very different from the larch stands we saw yesterday, this one consists of mainly old growth spruce and fir, the lower dead branches covered in thick, long lichen. The ground is carpeted with a thick layer of soft green moss. A real enchanted forest, the only thing that’s missing is our Pygmy Owl! Marcos scouting trips over the last few days and weeks are bearing fruit now, within an hour we manage to locate a singing male. The bad weather doesn’t seem to be able to break his enthousiasm, from his slightly sheltered perch in a pine tree, he is calling at regular intervals, seemingly oblivious to the rain. For us things are more complicated, our photographic material really doesn’t like water. After a while our owl decides to move on and so do we.
We head on to a little hut where we can shelter from the rain for a while. The autumn colours of the larch trees around the hut are superb, if only a Pygmy Owl would appear now! But we are not in luck this time and decide to head back to the cars. On the way there Marco and David spot another male on top of a fir tree below the trail. At last the rain has stopped.
For the next hour we are able to watch and photograph our tiny owl, proudly perched in the same spot. His fluted call floats across, but he doesn’t take the slightest bit of notice of us. For a 400 mm lens he is still a bit far away but the background is fabulous and we can get some nice shots that capture the atmosphere.
After an hour he flies off, and for us it is time to have the picknick Valérie has kindly prepared for us.
In the afternoon we head off to a different site, the clouds are finally clearing and the sun is starting to peak through the gaps. The larch trees glow against the last dark clouds in the distance, the light is unreal. And even better, another pygmy owl shows up and this time we can actually get some shots closer up. The light, the backdrop, we couldn’t have wished for better conditions. For about an hour we are able to move around it, the tiny owl is really very tolerant, looking down on us with a mixture of curiosity and indifference. Sometimes I wonder what it must have thought of us.
After an hour a second bird, a female shows up. In total we would have spent over 2 hours in their company. We are extremely fortunate!
It isn’t until I get home and look through my pictures on the big screen that I realise that we completely overlooked something: the 2 little raptors had a prey….
With the night gradually moving in we just have time for a last few pictures of the mountains in the setting sun, then we head back to our base. Some of us are leaving this evening and have a long drive ahead.
It is the end of the workshop, my head is full of lovely images of Pygmy Owls and so are my memory cards. I can’t wait to see them again in 2019….
A big thank you to Stéphanie, David and Marco for all the hard work involved in preparing and organising this workshop. Thank you also to Valérie for feeding us so well!
