Today I HAD to go Naturing. I can’t go tomorrow, as I’m working in order to get this coming Saturday off. I wanted to go somewhere quiet. Somewhere maybe a little empty. Like I often get when going Naturing on Mondays, like I usually do. And I’ve been hankering to visit El Polin Spring lately. Not sure why. Just been a while. So I headed there for the afternoon.

As expected, it was quiet and mostly empty. It was perfect.

Started at the MacArthur Ave. Trailhead, per usual. And I heard a Spotted Towhee almost instantly after getting out of my car. Huh! Have I EVER heard one in SF before? Checked iNat, and yep. There are many observations of them in The Presidio. WOW. How is that? Maybe I’d heard them before I learned their calls and songs to know what they were?

At the start of the trail, I was admiring a single Rose (California Wild Rose, maybe?) when something moved in the bushes in front of me. Turned out to be a California Scrub-Jay. Which was soon followed by what appeared to be a juvenile Scrub-Jay. And it was calling after its parent.

They both landed on the ground, and the juvenile flapped its wings. Opened its mouth but received nothing. The parent just looked at it. Then the juvenile started pecking at the ground. It soon flew up and landed about four feet from me! It was out in the open and so close that I didn’t bother to pull my camera up to my eyes for fear of frightening it away. So fun to watch it try (and fail?) to go after Blueblossom berries!

It was a sign to come for the day. I can’t even count how many juveniles I saw begging or crying or chasing after parents today! TOO MANY!

The loop was pretty chill. For blooms, there was Pink Honeysuckle and Seep Monkeyflower and Water Parsley and Twinberry Honeysuckle (whose berries are always SO TEMPTING) and Creeping Snowberry and Pacific Aster and one darling Thimbleberry.

The only creatures I saw (while hearing many birds) were a Western Fence Lizard (that judged me looking at it, of course), Bumble Bees, and a Stevenia deceptoria Fly. No common name! Boo.

Got to the small waterfall and waited for a Hummingbird to appear, as is customary. Waited. And waited. A Wilson’s Warbler briefly came in then immediately left. And when I started to think, “Huh. Guess there won’t be a …,” an Allen’s Hummingbird zoomed in! After several calls and chases, it flew in to the waterfall edge then zoomed out. Pretty content to see it. It’s a weird day when that doesn’t happen there.

Headed up the staircase and stopped to just stand amongst the TONS of Swallows that swooped in and out and around and upside down and all that jazz. Some flew by pretty close to me! Gah, it was too fun.

Arrived at the Ecology Trail, noting that a lot of the fence and posts had been removed. Hm! Wonder if that’s temporary? Gotta ask someone at the Presidio Trust. How cool is it that I can so easily find out?

The grassland bits up there were covered in dry grasses, as expected. Had some lucky finds, though. Cutie-pie Tidy Tips were along the trail. And ahead would be some Clarkia and Ithuriel’s Spear.

While walking through the forest part, I got to the bit where there are Coast Redwoods and nothing growing below them. And I stopped to look at it. It’s always so strange to see that. Not just in parks but in more wild places, too. It’s a sad feeling. Like a ghost town or something. Stuff should be growing below. A succession is in order!

Ok, so I’d seen a couple Great Horned Owl observations on iNat in the area that had just come in. NO, I didn’t expect to see them. Truly. Hoping, yes. Expecting, nope. They’re not that dependable. Especially when you don’t know their current favored trees. And I don’t.

But I was looking for them, of course! I looked down for a second after scanning the tree canopy and saw a uniquely colored bump alongside a tree’s trunk. Now, 99.9% of the time, it’s just a part of the tree that fooled me. But this was A GHO!! It was so dark, but there it was. Sleeping. Totoro-like.

And I felt so lucky to have just HAPPENED to look down at that moment in that spot to catch sight of it. There is literally no other way I would’ve found it.

It woke up for a minute to preen. I moved to get a better angle, and when I moved my camera up to my eyes it was ENTIRELY STARING AT ME. Now that is ALWAYS SHOCKING. When you bring up your camera (or binocs) to your eyes and see a RAPTOR STARING AT YOU.

It quickly got bored with me (no surprise) and went back to sleep. Aw.

Looked around a little more for any other signs. NOPE.

Further down the trail, and after catching sight of a raptor high up from behind, I started to hear Steller’s Jays squawking. Came around to see the front, and it was a Red-shouldered Hawk that I’d heard earlier. Cry-cry-cry. The Jays were having NONE OF IT. So I continued on my way, soon seeing the same Hawk fly out to escape the Jays. Wonder if it was a juvenile?

Looped back past the dog play area (will they ever do anything there with all that space?) and toward the staircase and stopped to watch all kinds of birds in the Swallows spot. A Spotted Towhee flew past me and into a bare tree to be hounded by a Northern Mockingbird so unwilling to share the tree! A House Finch had something in her mouth for someone. A Mourning Dove sat patiently for a spell. And on and on. No one bird ever being in any one place for long.

After things settled down there, it was time to go. And check out Barnard Ave. for any more GHOs…

Starting from Presidio Blvd. and Barnard, I made my way to Barnard Trail (no idea what it’s called, if anything, so I’m naming it). I stopped at the corner tree, where the spit of a branch is. Where I’ve often seen an adult GHO. And there was some whitewash there!

I looked to my left, and there was AN OWLET hiding closer to MacArthur Meadow!!

Came around to get closer, and allofasudden an adult GHO and Owlet were perched on the same branch. The adult JUST STARING AT ME. So sweet to see them like that. And of course she gave me death stares! Ahh, it’s been too long.

So, one female and two owlets here. And they were all just sleeping, mostly. But I haven’t really spent much time with GHOwlets this year. I was GIDDY. But after I got my fill of photos and looks through my binocs, I thought I’d go for broke and see if I could find the male…

I headed up to continue on the trail, and a couple folks were on the road. Looking up in my direction. One had binocs. One had a camera with an arm’s length zoom lens.

I got to a spot and turned to face them to see where exactly they were looking, and the woman with the camera pointed up. I looked up and saw a GHO in a euc with A MOUSE IN ITS MOUTH LOOKING RIGHT AT ME!!!

I cupped my mouth to cover my gasp and exhaled, “WOW!” Fumbled for my camera and got some photos before it flew to the Owlets, who cry-shrieked and came in a flash to receive the food. The male soon flew out after, and I followed it. It landed in a tree on the trail, and it was just sitting there. Out in the open. Looking intently at the ground from time to time.

Soon after, other birds started making alarm calls. Including some American Robins and a FEARLESS Hummingbird! One of the Robins dive-bombed the Owl. And it honestly looked like the Hummingbird was getting into the Owl’s FACE! But none of it deterred the Owl from hunting and snatching another mouse! But this one, it ate. Glad to see him rewarding himself from what is likely a lot of work lately!

After that, it just sat there for a while. And I just got to watch. And take photos. And talk with a couple from Canada that just happened to be walking through a bit of The Presidio on their way to the Golden Gate Bridge. And I got to share all the typical bits of knowledge I have, which was a treat as it’s been a while since I’ve done that.

Then they left, and I took some video before leaving him alone.

Made one last stop to see the female and two Owlets on my way out, and they were in different places. She was up a bit. Preening. And the two Owlets were snuggled next to each other. Dozing. FRICKIN’ ADORABLE. How lucky was I to see it?

And that was the end of my Naturing. Lovely time at El Polin. And a GHO FIVER for the day. AMAZING!!