
When I first saw Mark Glenshaw, he was already watching me. I was trudging up a steep hill toward my truck in St. Louis’ Forest Park after discovering a great horned owl’s nest with three fluffy nestlings, all alert and curious. As I reached the parking lot near the World’s Fair Pavilion, Mark approached me in the manner of a park ranger and introduced himself as an amateur naturalist who monitored the great horned owls of Forest Park. He further informed me with utmost courtesy that I had already been a bit too close to the nest.
Although it has been almost 10 years since we met, Mark and I remain close friends. He continues to monitor the owls of Forest Park and educate park visitors about their life histories. I love how he engages people, especially children, with lively owl stories, and conducts field dissections of regurgitated pellets to reveal what owls had eaten. If the subject turns toward nesting, Mark often carries an artificial great horned owl egg to the delight of his audience.
My encounter with Mark and the great horned owl’s nest that afternoon in Forest Park began a decade of observing and photographing birds of prey (owls, hawks, eagles, falcons, kites, and ospreys) in the urban landscape of St. Louis and its surrounding communities. The next morning, I returned with my camera to discover one of the nestlings sitting on a branch with its parent. It had fledged overnight and I was thrilled to capture its image, finally free from the confines of its nest of the past six weeks. Yep, I was hooked!
So why are birds of prey attracted to St. Louis and other big cities? St. Louis is rich with historic parks, including its crown jewel, Forest Park. These parks have an abundance of mature trees, perfect for large, stick-built nests of red-tailed hawks and Cooper’s hawks, as well as the smaller nests of Mississippi kites. As they age, many of those same trees provide nesting cavities for American kestrels, barred owls, screech owls, and often great horned owls. Another attraction is the prevalence of tall pine trees and other conifers where birds of prey, particularly great horned owls, can rest securely among sheltering branches, especially in winter.
The towering trees of St. Louis’ parks and neighborhoods are only part of the story. The other part is easy access to food. Often beneath those inviting trees is open ground, typically mowed, which abounds with squirrels, rabbits, and other prey. Few creatures are completely safe from the talons of a great horned owl.
I’m often asked if owls and hawks stay in the city after they fledge and go out on their own. My reply, often prefaced by, “I’m not an expert,” is that some of them stay around the city for another year or more while others expand their range to new locations farther away. I’m confident that many city birds later become country birds as they explore their new world. During my years photographing birds of prey in St. Louis, I have been impressed with the way they bring people together. Everywhere I go, especially when I’m toting my 500 mm lens and tripod, people approach me, ascertain what I’m looking for, and begin sharing stories about their own encounters with urban birds of prey. Others join in and camaraderie ensues, regardless of background. I consider this one of the many benefits we receive from these charismatic birds of the city.
Here you will find a sample of the birds of prey I have encountered in and around St. Louis. It is not an exhaustive list, but more of a highlight reel from my time spent in this compelling landscape.
Magazine Manager - Stephanie Thurber
Editor - Angie Daly Morfeld
Associate Editor - Larry Archer
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Staff Writer - Heather Feeler
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Photographer - Noppadol Paothong
Photographer - David Stonner
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