As a lover and wanna-be resident of the Southwest, I am required to be a fervent fan of Edward Abbey's. No one else captures the begrudging love and attraction I feel towards canyons nearly as well. Canyons are terrible places, full of sharp rocks that tear my pants, wear holes in my shoes and cause pain in my joints. Canyons are filled with all sorts of horrible creatures like ravens that ransack your gear, rattlesnakes that crawl into your sleeping bag (a myth I believe Abbey started himself), and all sorts of stinging and biting invertebrates that inhabit every crevasse and nook in the ditch. Somehow, I still find the allure of canyons irresistible - the unknown, the excitement of hidden oasis and the intoxicating silence of canyons. I often fall victim to something I dubbed "canyon-itis" a few years ago. I can - and do - wander up a side canyon for hours, lured by the curiosity of what is around the next bend of the canyon walls. I often inconvenience my hiking companions by saying "I'm just going to scout around this bend" only to return several hours later (often worse for the wear after trying to surmount an insurmountable pour off). The only thing that breaks me from my obsessive looking around corners is the presence of the aforementioned insurmountable pour offs or an encounter with a critter I do not wish to disturb.
This past week my canyon wandering exploits were halted three times by encounters with owls. On a hike into South Canyon to conduct bat monitoring, cave inventory, and owl surveys I left my crew off with the usual "I'm just going to scout up this side canyon...". After a few moments a Mexican spotted owl flew by, being chased by two ravens. I was amazed, it was 10am in a hot canyon! It is fairly common for ravens and other birds to harass birds of prey when they detect them; but this was a first for me - ravens chasing an owl. Not wanting to harass an already stressed animal, I quickly placed a recorder on a rock and returned down the wash to meet back up with my crew. Later during our trip, we found a roost with three great horned owl chicks in the redwall narrows of South Canyon. Then again, three days later while indulging my "canyonitis" in Glen Canyon I came across another three fledgling great horned owl in a cool and shady pool far up a side canyon. It's been a great few weeks full of owls, lets hope the acoustic data is just as cool, as I start to process it this week.
This past week my canyon wandering exploits were halted three times by encounters with owls. On a hike into South Canyon to conduct bat monitoring, cave inventory, and owl surveys I left my crew off with the usual "I'm just going to scout up this side canyon...". After a few moments a Mexican spotted owl flew by, being chased by two ravens. I was amazed, it was 10am in a hot canyon! It is fairly common for ravens and other birds to harass birds of prey when they detect them; but this was a first for me - ravens chasing an owl. Not wanting to harass an already stressed animal, I quickly placed a recorder on a rock and returned down the wash to meet back up with my crew. Later during our trip, we found a roost with three great horned owl chicks in the redwall narrows of South Canyon. Then again, three days later while indulging my "canyonitis" in Glen Canyon I came across another three fledgling great horned owl in a cool and shady pool far up a side canyon. It's been a great few weeks full of owls, lets hope the acoustic data is just as cool, as I start to process it this week.