Park News Feb 17 2026
Third Owl Confirmed
In my last post I reported that there might very well be a third owl on the north side of the park. Photographer Hao Tran has been documenting an owl there after dark. This was thought to be one of the known owls out foraging, as they do at night. But then Hao saw an owl there in daylight and concluded it must live there. On Thursday Feb 5, photographer Yvette Bozzini saw an owl in that area, and got one photo. But that bird was not seen again for a week. Then at midday on Saturday Feb 14, photographer Cheryl Foster took a series of photographs of an owl on the north side. One of her photos is above. Park visitor Mary Law saw the owl on Sunday Feb 15 and got a couple of cellphone photos. Feleciana Feller saw it on Monday morning Feb 16. Later that day, during a gap in the rains, I took advantage of helpful location tips from Mary and Cheryl, and succeeded in spotting the bird. It was perched on a stone at the water’s edge.
I took a short video of this owl and posted it to YouTube at this link. This owl appeared undisturbed by me or all the other people passing on the paved perimeter path about 30 feet away and maybe 12 feet above its perch. It rotated its head at a very stately pace. It hopped to a different rock a couple of times but always remained visible until darkness advanced and I could no longer make it out.
This was an exciting discovery for me. Seeing a new owl so late in the season — a time when Burrowing Owls sometimes end their winter residence and migrate away — is a remarkable experience. We had something similar last year, when a new owl appeared in the Burrowing Owl preserve in the first week of February. To add to the novelty, on my Monday evening excursion I saw an owl at Perch B (map). I saw an owl at this spot on Oct 5 last year, and another (or the same?) near Perch B on Nov 5, but otherwise Perch B has been vacant this winter season. On Monday I photographed this owl from the Spiral, and again from the perimeter path. A short video is up on YouTube at this link.
On this Monday visit, I did not see an owl either at Perch C or at Perch E (map). I did see the Perch C owl on Sunday Feb 15 (photo left), but not the Perch E owl. I can’t exclude the possibility that the owl at B on Monday was the owl we’ve normally seen at E or at C. Given that the weather has been wet and stormy for several days, it’s also possible that these regular owls had taken cover, and that the B owl was new. I could not see enough of the B owl’s breast pattern to identify it. It’s also to be kept in mind that the time for migration is approaching. Ornithologists who have studied bird migrations have observed that in the pre-migration period, birds become active and engage in random movements. This is termed Zugunruhe, a German word meaning migration restlessness. So, we owl watchers need to be prepared for anything.
Weeding and Smiling
I rarely smile when pulling weeds at home, but volunteers pulling weeds in the park break out in smiles at the slightest provocation. A strong handful of experienced hands answered Chavez Park Conservancy Restoration Coordinator Bob Huttar’s appeal to come pull weeds and spread mulch on Valentine’s Day. The wet weather relented and even a few rays broke through as we worked. The weeds had indeed made strides. We made great progress but it will probably take another outing or two to give the hundreds of young native plants in the Pollinator Gardens the air and sunshine they need to thrive.
Most of the botanicals were still in winter mode or in very early springtime periods, but a couple of the ceanothus had progressed from light blue to deeper hues, and the Malva Rose shrubs were in amazing bloom.
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