Timing is everything. Three seconds later we would have missed it altogether. Three seconds earlier and we would have been too far away to see the incredible detail of the scene.
A friend and I ventured down to the Great Swamp in Putnam County, N.Y., this spring with his canoe in tow. I was a little skeptical at first as the parking lot seemed fairly crowded and three kayakers prepared to launch soon after we first dipped our paddles into the water. Other than those kayakers, however, we didn’t see another human being for about three hours.
What we did see about half an hour into our exploration was a barred owl being chased across the river by three crows. The dramatic scene played out right in front of us. As the birds crossed before us, they were a mere a few dozen yards away.
Owls hunt crows by night and, if spotted, crows will attack or “mob” owls during daylight.
From the front-row perspective, we saw the owl slowly make its way across the water, beating its wings rather deliberately instead of in a panic. Every detail of the owl’s gray and brown plumage was highlighted by the early morning sun. The crows were not screaming and screeching as they usually do when they mob owls or hawks. One crow flew above the owl and the other crows flew alongside the owl on either side. It was as if the crows were calmly escorting an unwanted visitor away and the intruder was leaving peacefully.
The birds appeared from the woods to our right and eventually disappeared into the woods to our left. The scene was magnificent on this warm, calm morning. My only regret is that the birds did not announce their approach, allowing me time to ready the camera for a potential photo op. On second thought, I was happy to soak in the scene unencumbered.
It could not have been timed anymore perfectly. My friend and I were stuck behind a construction vehicle for much of our trip. Had that slow-moving truck not impeded our progress, we would have arrived at Great Swamp too early. The scene would have unfolded well behind us.
Let’s say we hit another red light. That would have gotten us there about a minute later. One minute is all it would have taken for the crows and owl to cross the river well ahead of us, leaving us saying, “What was that?” or “I think it was a group of crows chasing a hawk or something. Hard to tell.”
Two minutes later and we likely would have missed it altogether. See what I mean about timing.
The remaining wildlife sightings were rather ordinary — nesting Canada geese, dozens of painted turtles, and black vultures — but nothing topped the owl-crow scene.
The experience got me thinking about other nature walks and canoe trips I’ve taken. I’ve certainly seen a great abundance of unforgettable wildlife scenes, some that required pin-point timing and many that didn’t. But how many have I missed by mere moments?
I can recall a few incidences where I’ve missed sightings by being too far behind, such as the time I came over a hill in my car and saw only the back end of a black bear as it disappeared into the woods. I’m sure I’ve missed plenty of sightings by being too early, but those scenes happened behind me and I have no idea what those may have been.
Skill and experience are important factors to finding wildlife, there’s no doubt about that. Luck and timing are important, too. Thank goodness for luck.

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