Owl Night

by Brad Wilk

Last July, I had the fortuitous opportunity to visit and bird southeastern Arizona with my family for our annual summer vacation. In preparation for the trip, I began to ask my birding friends about the area: where to visit, what the area was like, etc. One of these friends told me about his experience in Arizona, and he recommended that I get in touch with a man by the name of Dave Jasper for some great owling in the famous Chiricahua Mountains. My friend jotted down the man's number, and I took it home with me. 

Later that week, my family decided to give this Dave Japer a call. Even on the phone, we could tell he was quite a character. We talked about Arizona birding for a while, and then set up a time and place to meet. 

Fast-forward a few weeks. I am in Cave Creek Canyon, kneeling beside a lonely road watching Elegant Trogons and Scott's Oriole feed off of a berry tree. Suddenly, a car kicks up dust as it grinds along the poor road. It pulls up alongside us and a tall man hops out and yells an enthusiastic "Hello." "You’re the Wilkinsons, right?" We say that "yes, we are." "That's what I thought. There aren't many kids birding with their parents around here. I'm Dave Jasper, by the way. I want to show you something." He then leads us off the path a few meters, and we cross a dry wash. Before our eyes is a family of Spotted Owls, just sitting there watching us. We observe the adult and two juveniles for a while. We then say goodbye until darkness falls. 

I find myself watching Broad-billed and Blue-throated Hummingbird hover around some nectar feeders near the main lodge in Portal. Just before dusk, Dave Jasper shows up for the main owling trip. We are all very excited to get started. We head down the road and stand in front of a tree with a large flashlight. A small form alights in the tree. The tiny Elf Owl now perches in front of our faces, with the light shining on it and showing all of it’s wonderful plumage. This owl shows up at it's nest hole feeding a nestling a few more times before we travel down the road a bit further. We then locate a presumed family group of Western Screech-Owls. We never see an adult, but get looks at the immature. Shortly after, we head into the heart of the grandiose Chiracahua Mountains. (pronounced cheer-a-cow-a) 

Finding Whiskered Screech-Owls was fairly easy, and we are all excited about the excellent looks we get at calling individuals. Seeing the two species of screech-owls within a short period of time was fantastic, and provided a convenient opportunity to compare the two species. 

Buoyed by our success, we decide to try for the difficult and tricky Flammulated Owl. On the way up to the stakeout spot, we see eyeshine in our headlights. We pull alongside the bright spots to find a calm Common Poorwill. We approach very closely and get great looks before the bird flies away. The Flammulated decided to elude us, but we were able to hear the very interesting Mexican Whip-poor-will. This subspecies is very different-sounding, and should be in the consideration as a separate species. 

On the way down, we had a wonderful mammalian encounter, as a pair of young Mountain Lions crossed the road in front of out vehicle, darting across the gravel to climb the opposite bank. We were very fortunate to see this majestic and special animal. 

We said our goodbyes and returned to our lodge, and we thanked Dave for the wonderful night of owling. This experience is one that that will not soon be forgotten.  


Page last updated on Friday July 25, 2008