Carmen Kuntz

Nov 22, 2023 | montecristomagazine.com | Carmen Kuntz

There are three ways to observe a bird: You can see it, you can hear it, or you can read about it in a bird guide. These three are not the same. Take, for example, the boreal owl. In a book you’ll read that it’s a common owl in northern Europe, but the likelihood of spotting one in the dense forests or bogs where it hunts and breeds is slim. Velvety feathers make it silent in flight, and the dark-brown colouring and whitish spots help it blend into the branches it perches on.