Peekaboo - A Juvenile Owl at The Sultanpur National Park

A Curious Owl at the Sultanpur National Park

Just yesterday, when I visited the Sultanpur National Park (a Ramsar site) close to Gurgaon, I was in for a surprise when I spotted a juvenile owl, that too at the end of the tour looking at me with a lot of curiosity. I wondered who was more surprised, the owl or me. 

A Juvenile Owl peeps out of its nest

While initially, it stood still, after some time, however, it slipped into its nest, a hollow tree trunk, from which it would slyly peep out to see whether I was still there. This game went on for some time before even I decided to move and let the owl some privacy.

It is surprising how thin and stick-like owls are under their feathers. Their feathers give the Owls their rather plumped-up appearance. I realised this when I photographed what seemed to be a rather bedraggled and wet-looking owl. I guess the backlighting made the owl look rather thin. 

 Owls are stick thin beneath their feathers