Tiny owls rule

©2014 Lydia Hinshaw

Northern pygmy owl

Northern saw-whet owl

 KALISPELL, MT -- Saturday we attended Raptor Day at Lone Pine State Park, just south of here.

 This event was much smaller than the similar one we visited in New York State last spring, where we had to park in a remote lot and take a shuttle bus to a crowded venue with dozens of birds and multiple food concessions and souvenir stands.

 There were no eagles or ospreys Saturday, but a good collection of hawks, kestrels, falcons and owls, and a good crowd, for Montana.

 I was captivated by the two species of small owls, the northern pygmy and the northern saw-whet.

 In the top photo, I left in the chin of the wildlife handler, to give some perspective of how small this owl is.  The saw-whet in the second photo is a about the same size, and kept staring at his handler, with what looked like adoration.