Today I did some site scoping for a Presidio Night Walk that I’ll be leading next month. And while I don’t have amazing photos, and don’t even have much at that, it’s still worth writing about!

Okokok, so I was checking out the Barnard Ave. area. Got there just before sunset. No hooting. But I did hear a Northern Flicker. And heard a Pacific Chorus Frog! No signs of Great Horned Owls.

Got to the South end of the Barnard Trail, and I paused to watch a Red-shouldered Hawk high up on Barnard Ave. Looking casually down, at this and that below. And a woman walking past stopped to ask what I was looking for. Told her about my program and that I was just checking out what was around.

She told me that “the other night” FIVE OWLS were making noise along Barnard Ave! So all three juvenile GHOs were still around!

It wasn’t quite dark, so I kept walking toward the Ecology Trail. Where I heard a GHO pair duet-hooting in the distance. In about the same spot as last year when I discovered that there were TWO flippin’s GHO pairs in the area. I knew where they were, and it’s tough to see them there. So I turned around and went back to see about these “FIVE” owls…

Nothin.

But when I got to the North end of the Barnard Trail, I saw a family of three shoo off something in MacArthur Meadow. They grabbed their small dog and carried him away.

COYOTE!

And sure enough, there it was. Seemingly trying to settle back down. Perhaps into a spot it had been for the day? MacArthur Meadow is a perfect place for a Coyote to hang undisturbed. This must be a common place for it to be. When it’s not a wet meadow.

It appeared to head back from where I came, so I returned to the trail in case I could get a photo. And there it was. Out in the open. Pretty reluctant to do anything with me watching, so I quietly walked away.

And here I was looking for what crepuscular creatures I might find the area, and I find the COYOTE. So lucky.

It was around this time that I heard ANOTHER pair of GHOs duet-hooting. But from the eucs near the Wood Line. Right! Forgot all about that pair! And I then realized that there were THREE pairs in a pretty close area last year, assuming the eucs pair were also there last year. Wow. Nutso.

Started heading back to my car on Presidio Blvd., and I heard YET ANOTHER HOOT!

The Barnard GHOs were somewhere near the back of the YMCA. Duet-hooting.

Will there be some territory fights this year??

I THEN realized that I’d heard THREE different pairs of GHOs all in ONE Naturing outing. Fairly certain I’ve only been able to do that once before, in GGPark. Pretty flippin’ awesome.

Oh, and I saw a couple Hermit Thrushes, California Towhees, and a Black Phoebe. Saw two Red-tailed Hawks soaring. Heard an Anna’s Hummingbird. And saw another Red-shouldered Hawk. So much to see and hear at dusk!

Even spotted a small sprout of a fungi, of what looked like Western Hardwood Sulphur Shelf growing out of a euc.

That was about it. It was time to head to Other Avenues.

And after my weekly grocery shopping was done, I got into my car. And heard A HOOT.

Oh, YES. A HOOT!

Got out of my car, hardly believing HOW LOUD it was that I could hear it while in my car with the doors closed. Grabbed my digital camera and binocs from the trunk and LOOKED!

Nothin.

Then the HOOT came from DIRECTLY ABOVE ME. The new tall building of housing that went up recently was right there. And on the corner, up on the roof, was a female GHO. Hooting away!

My digital camera was not having any of that darkness, so I had to resort to my phone camera. Fairly certain it’ll pass to get an iNat ID.

But, DANG! I couldn’t stop grinning! I mean, COME ON with that timing. Sometimes my own Owl Witch Prowess shocks even me!!