November 3, 2013
Fresh Pond Owl Walk
Bob Stymeist, statistician for the Brookline Bird Club and records compiler for Bird Observer magazine, led this evening walk for a large group of owl aficionados. Many of us had never been on the Reservation at night, so there was a sense of adventure when we walked out onto the golf course as the sky darkened and the planet Venus began to glow in the western sky. Almost immediately a large dark bird flew from the nearby trees. Bob identified it as a great horned owl. He used a recording of screech owl calls to attract the attention of local screeches, but was not successful in getting any responses. Nonetheless, we all immensely enjoyed the walk, and learned to recognize the calls of screech, barred, and great horned owls.
Photo: The golf course at twilight