How to Capture a Saw-Whet Owl in a Children's Book)
"Yes, I see you."
"Get Your Camera!"
"I was afraid he would fly away before I could get a picture," saidphotographer Linda Gast. Her husband had called her to come outside and bring her camera.
"I knew it was an owl, but I didn't know what kind. I thought maybe it was a baby, because it was so small." As it turned out, the little Saw-Whet owl, no bigger than a soda can, was full size and willing to stay around and pose for more than two hours.
"I got tired before he did," she says. "I even went inside to get a different lens, while he waited for me to return." The tiny predator had been napping under the deck of her house, with a partly eaten mouse grasped firmly in its tiny talons.
The Gast's have lived in the wooded Sierra foothills just a few miles west of Yosemite National Park for several years.
They enjoy seeing animals and birds on their property frequently, but this one seemed to be something special.
On that late November afternoon the light was still good enough to reveal the variety of feather patterns and the range of owlish expressions typical of the species.
Another typical thing that she did not know about Saw-Whet Owls, at that time, was the tendency for this bird to stay put when faced with a possible threat-- rather than attract attention by flying away.
It's defense mechanism, aided by it's camouflage patterning, is to stay still and avoid drawing attention to itself. People often might approach quite close to this type of owl thinking that it is merely a pine cone on a branch.
This particular owl seemed to be a bit wary, since it still had most of its tasty prey still uneaten. The mouse head-- apparently the tastiest part-- usually disappears first.
"I got a mouse; You didn't"
A set of remarkable photos....
The Saw-Whet owl is one of nineteen species of owl found in North America. It is more migratory than most, and ranges across the continent from the Atlantic to the Pacific, preferring dense mixed forests.
In fact, recent studies and banding operations reveal that its range may be wider than earlier believed, because it is just so good at hiding.
In the eastern half of the US and Canada it is the smallest of the resident owls, while in the west, the pigmy owl is slightly smaller and the elf owl-- a resident of the Sonoran desert is mostly seen in a limited area.
When Gast downloaded her photos, she was pretty pleased with the results. She e-mailed a few of the best images to her writer friend, Rochelle Frank.
The two women had become aquainted while working as free-lancers for local publications during the previous two years. When Frank saw the beautiful photos she responded almost immediately. "This is a children's book!" she e-mailed to her friend, then set about to prove it by penning a few verses to start forming a story in dialogue.
"This is a children's book!"
"I just thought the pictures were so good, that they should be shared with a wider audience," says Frank who had always had a yen to write children's books.
Her writing experience had mostly been in the areas of personality profile features, and humorous columns, but several years as a classroom teacher had given her a wide exposure to children's books.
"I thought she must be crazy at first, but then I decided she must know how to do it or she wouldn't suggest it. The idea grew on me." says Gast. "Actually, I really like it now and I am excited about our next book."
So What, Saw-Whet?
Click the blue words to see how we published and marketed our owl book
Comments
hope your children books will sell well and good photo
nice hub, great job
My grandson's birthday is coming up at the end of this month. "So What, Saw-Whet" sounds like it would be a book he'd enjoy as a gift :-) So....yep, I'm ordering it.
I am a big fan of owls and I think it's awesome that you wrote a children's book about it! I really enjoyed reading your hub and will have to check out your book now that I know a little bit more about it.
What a marvelous joint venture! Love the hub and the events which inspired it; just ordered the book! As I photographer I share the thrill, sense of wonder & privilege one feels when capturing images of wildlife. Thank you for your collaborative creativity!
I am a bird person, too. Nice article.
nice job. Was he cute?
Hi Rochelle-
Great Pictures! and what a cute book. I am involved with a bird banding project here on the East Coast studying the migration patterns of these tiny yet magnificent owls. I have used an endless loop tape with Saw-Whet Owl calls numerous times and have had a great response rate. These owls have been found in areas which we least expected to find them-one of these areas turning into our best "traffic" site during migration time!
~Danielle
This is the 2nd time I have read this hub. I'm a big fan of owls, though my experience with them is pretty limited. I have one (at least) living on my property, and it has been here for at least 10 years. I hear it often, but I can't find it. I have gone looking for the source of the call, but it goes silent whenever I get near. Then I saw a documentary that said the best way to approach one was to mimic their call, and that way you could get real close to one. It didn't work for me, but the neighbors did think I had gone nuts. Then I listened on the internet to the calls of owls that could be living in my area, but could not find the specific call (they didn't have every call) so no luck there either. Still, it facinates me and I like the idea of it being here. I call him Poindexter. Maybe one day I will see him/her.
Thanks for the hub! Good luck with your book. It sounds like a winner!
So adorable! I hope I'll be able to catch one someday!
I think it is really nice to see how things were brought together to make such a creative effort possible! I also think it was wonderful that you two fulfilled the idea of the children's book. You could truly change some child's life because of the set of coincidences that brought you two to write the book. spirit guides? I don't believe in coincidences, per sai. But, I do believe we are directed when the time comes to share messages. I plan to purchase this book for my grandson for Christmas. Thank you! =o)
I am so envious of Linda Gast's good fortune to have had that little owl pose for her photographs! And, you know I love So What Saw Whet, it is a delightful book.
Great hub. Lovely photographs. i really wish you success with your children's book.
thanks for sharing this with us.
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