Sometimes known as the ‘Tom Thumb of the owl realm’ because it is tame enough to be picked up in one hand and is not much bigger than your thumb, the saw-whet owl, in size, is the smallest of so-called nocturnal raptors in New England.
Way down south, the owlet is barely bigger than the size of a sparrow. It might seem cute and friendly being carried around and such to affectionately be revered as the sympathetic characterization of a Tiny Tim, but that would be a stretch of imagination of any bird watching observation.
The round dish-shaped face for such a small creature serves to reflect the slightest sound into its very large ears, permitting it to pinpoint the squeak or rustle of an insect, bird, or bat, and dive down with soft perforated edges of wing feathers before the quarry even knows it is being hunted. The wide eyes also give it the characteristic expression of complete surprise and wonder when approached.
It has yellow framed eyes indicating it can hunt by daylight. By contrast, the orange eyes of owls indicate a preference for either dawn or dusk, and dark eyes signify nighttime navigation and predation.
Playing the parent role of a wise old owl, it mates for life, which may be as long as 15 years, staying together even during the non-breeding season.
The female is bigger than the male, as is often the case in birds, but both share the responsibility of feeding and raising young, even for an extended period like the somewhat larger screech owl, often seen as in my drawing in a group garden setting with a tree saw from which they get their name. It comes from their shrill rasping ‘che-witt’ call repeated one hundred times a minute and sounding like the repeated strokes of sharpening the teeth of a metal saw blade with a handheld honing stone.
The young are taught by example how to hunt, starting them off with daylight hours from dawn to dusk, and they also learn by example how to save and set aside excess food in a convenient setting, like saving money for a rainy day. However, the most remarkable acquired trait is not learning or acquiring fear of a humans. This is probably from not having the experience of evolutionary conditioned reflexes, living away from harm secluded in a thick remote shadowy conifer setting with no repeated exposure to harm.
This is also characteristic of the spruce grouse of Maine, being so tame that, like the isolated heath hen of Martha’s Vineyard, they were nicknamed as fool hens by indigenous natives.
If you venture out for bird watching during the dusk hours between sunset and sundown, in the mystical time of day that appeals to the diurnal and nocturnal, keep your eyes open for a tiny feathered profile on a fence railing or low hanging branch looking just as surprised as you might be lucky enough to witness. Then, writing and drawing this image will be rewarding for both of us, enough to be remembered.
By George B. Emmons