Long-eared Owls at Queens State Wildlife Refuge

Another birding stop on my way home on 1-5-06 was Upper Queens Reservoir. This reservoir is one of several lakes that make up the Great Plains Reservoirs north of Lamar (though in Kiowa County). Due to heavy hunting pressure, there weren't any waterfowl on either Upper or Lower Queens Reservoirs. I did see an adult Bald Eagle, at least 1 Northern Harrier and a probable Harlan's Red-tailed Hawk. Two Red-tailed Hawks engaged in an aerial dance, circling and soaring together likely as part of breeding display.

And I found the 2 Long-eared Owls pictured here, plus two more. The first pic shows the classic Long-eared Owl pose, elongated to blend in like another tree limb. The second pic shows an owl that I unfortunately disturbed when I walked into the trees where they were perched. This species is easily disturbed as they are difficult to see until you are often too close. There may have been more owls in these trees but I left so as not to disturb more. Be aware that I took these pics with a 12 power digital camera and also enlarged the photos. I was actually 25+ feet from each of these when I took the photos.