Prime Real Estate

From Shravan Sundaram

Awakening - A Western Screech-Owl emerges from a sycamore cavity at sunset to begin the evening hunt.

My anecdotal observation is that sycamores are one of the preferred tree species of Western Screech-Owls along with oaks.

I often think about how these natural cavities must be prime real estate in the natural world. I learned from a friend a while back about an instance where a Northern Saw-whet Owl displaced a Western Screech-Owl from a cavity and I thought that was very interesting. There are probably so many interspecific interactions going on in ecosystems that we don't get to see!

Species: Western Screech-Owl (Megascops kennicottii)

Location: California, USA

Equipment: Canon EOS R3 + RF 100-500mm IS

Settings: 1s, ISO: 640, f/8 @500mm, On Tripod w Remote Release, Electronic Shutter