The Saw-whet Owl is a near-mythical enigma. They are one of the continent's most abundant birds of prey, and yet, one can easily spend a lifetime in the woods without seeing one.

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They are pint-sized (weighing about 80 grams), nocturnal, and have a habit of tucking themselves into impenetrable brush; a necessary precaution when you're about the weight of a Robin. In some places, a solid effort to locate one can be made by searching every thick stand of conifers. In the Pacific Northwest - where the forest is often one thick wall of brush, and conifers as far as the eye can see - the search becomes like finding a needle in a giant field of haystacks. After searching thousands of trees, when you peer into a dense thicket to find your gaze returned by a pair of bright yellow eyes, the feeling is pretty surreal. 

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Saw-whet Owls sleep the day away, until dusk sets in. Under the cover of night, they are fearsome predators to any small rodents or birds in their vicinity.