About "Waiting"

"Waiting" seemed to be an appropriate title for this piece. I usually come up with a title for the piece that I'm working on before I even start the piece or at least by the time I'm half finished it. On this occasion, for some reason a title wasn't popping out at me, so I waited. I knew I would come up with one.

And for those of you familiar with owls, they do seem to "wait" a considerable amount of time. We typically come across owls while they are roosting or settled in a favourite tree surveying the land watching for some un-expected prey.

About the Northern Hawk Owl

The Hawk Owl has more of a falcon shape to it than typical owl shape. It is a diurnal owl, medium sized, tame, earless, and has habits that resemble some of the smaller hawks. Th Hawk Owl has a long rounded tail, relatively pointed wings, and fast flight with bursts of wing beats and glides. The Hawk Owl is dark brown on the backside with large white spots on the outer wings and some thin white bars on the tail feathers.

The Hawk Owl inhabits open forests usually with easy access to clearings. It may be found at the edge of a burn or open areas cleared by lumbering. When in mountainous areas it may move up as far as 6000 ft. in elevation. It avoids dense coniferous forests and prefers sparse woodlands including birch, aspen, and mixed woods with some preference for pines. Our boreal forests are the perfect habitat.

Their diet varys depending on the time of year. In the summer months the majority of their diet consists of small rodents and in particular voles are favoured and may comprise as much as 90% of their diet. Other small mammals such as squirrels, mice, lemmings, and snowshoe hares are also taken. During winter months, when rodents may be more difficult to find, the major of their prey becomes avian. Birds may consist of as much as 90% of the food intake in the winter. Birds as large as Sharp-tailed, Willow, and Ruffed Grouse or mammals as large as a weasel may be taken.

Stuart Arnett
Wildlife Conservation Artist