There we were in a little urban wooded area. The American Robins were acting in a bizarre way, sort of softly yodeling. All of a sudden they all took off. In the distance we could spot a few dozen starlings making noise atop a large tree. As we approached we could hear a mix of sounds from the local birds. Not quite alarm sounds, but they weren’t tranquil.
Northern saw-whet owl
Suddenly the Blue Jays arrived in an aggressive manner. We were looking everywhere for what could be such a menacing bother. As we slowly moved through the woods, it revealed itself. An APEX predator had just startled this quiet little wooded area, the Northern saw-whet owl. We couldn’t believe it, a bird of prey barely bigger than my hand could cause such havoc. The Blue Jays themselves were probably heavier than this cute little Owl.