Birdwatching for hawks and owls

I’m out in the snow and the woods on an almost daily basis, mostly to ski and/or work our dog, but I always carry binoculars (usually compact binoculars to lighten the load) for the sake of bird watching, especially bird watching for raptors (birds of prey).

Hawks, falcons and owls have always fascinated me. Could there be anything more magnificent to view in the birding binoculars or birding spotting scope? I don’t think so, at any rate. To me, these birds are the very essence of wild and untamed.

This has not been a good winter for raptor watching, however, and I suspect one reason is lack of a food supply. For instance, I haven’t seen rabbit tracks in the snow in nearly two months and I’m out in the snow almost daily. Maybe that's why I haven't seen hawk or heard an owl at night for a long time. Then too, the woods seem especially devoid of songbirds, this winter, with the exception of our yard, thanks to bird feeders I keep filled.

The woods, as always, are lovely, dark and deep, but this winter, they are also rather quiet.