Family of barred owls attracts swarms of visitors to Vancouver park

A family of owls are causing quite the stir among locals and wildlife photographers after settling in a tree next to South Cambie’s Douglas Park.

Wildlife enthusiasts, birders, photographers and South Cambie locals have been gathering in their hordes to snap a shot of a famous family of four that have recently moved into a rustic home in Vancouver’s Douglas Park.

The family comprises four barred owls – Hoolio, Hoolietta and their owlets Hooper and Hoolia, as regular park visitors have come to call them.

Greg Beaudin, a hobbyist wildlife photographer and an avid collector of art that features birds, said he stumbled across the owls in his local park around a month ago and has visited them daily, taking almost 200 videos and photographs, ever since.

“They’re super friendly, and they always seem to perch in a good spot where you can see them,” he says.

Beaudin is never alone, with photographers of all capacities lingering to catch a snapshot and a glimpse of the famous feathered quartet. He says there are “at least 40” professional photographers with high-powered cameras and various lenses beneath the tree they reside in each day. One such photographer has even begun printing high-definition polaroids of the birds to give to crowd members as a memento of their encounter.

Rania Hatz, the executive director of the Cambie Village Business Association, says there are many barred owls in the neighbourhood, but few have the rare, bold nature of the newcomers that is enabling them to be viewed so easily.

The family has nested in a large hole in a highly visible tree, with one of the two parents often peeking out from its whimsical frame to glance upon the crowd waiting below, she says.

“It just keeps looking out at the people curiously, and it’s not really protected by a lot of leafy branches,” adds Hatz.

“Occasionally the other one behind it peeks out as well. What’s cuter than two owls staring at you? One looks and then the other one looks from behind, almost like it’s photobombing its partner.”

When the owlets fledged for the first time on Wednesday, a crowd of almost 200 people had gathered around the tree to snap photos of the young ones and point in awe, said Beaudin.

He says the large crowds have prompted the city to build a fenced area around the tree, while others have come to leave their own attempts at protection - like placing pool floaties atop the fence to soften its spikes in case the owlets fall, and blankets on the ground.

The majority of the visitors are quiet and respectful, but the same can’t be said for the neighbouring wildlife, he says.

“The crows are always giving these owls a hard time, and it seems like mom and dad are always playing this little game with the crows to keep them away from the owlets.”

Beaudin and Hatz say the birds have brought conversation to the community, with the coffee shops and corner stores abuzz with gossip on the four birds.

“There are people that would never meet coming out of their homes in that area. The way the world is like now, no one is really interacting with their neighbors these days, and now these owls have brought everyone out together,” says Beaudin.

Amid the chaos, a spokesperson from the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation is reminding park-goers that it is best to observe birds and wildlife quietly, and from a distance, by using binoculars or a camera with a long lens.

The park board suggests a viewing distance of 50 metres, or about half the length of a soccer field, and for watchers to move on after a few minutes.

“If the bird looks towards you, or its behaviour otherwise seems to change in response to your presence, then you should move farther away. Do not follow the bird if it leaves the site,” said the spokesperson.

Flash photography, especially in low light, should be avoided, as it may harm the animal’s eyes. Drones can also cause a significant disturbance, resulting in habitat abandonment, said the spokesperson.

According to the BC Breeding Bird Atlas, barred owls are relative newcomers to the province, with the first record being from the Liard River in 1943.