Urban Owl

Filmed over a 6-month period during the COVID lockdown, Urban Owl follows the growth of three great horned owlets high in a eucalyptus tree in a San Francisco park where the adults have nested for many years. A hillside trail across from the nest allows an unusual birds-eye view of their growth and development. We watch them transform from tiny white puff balls to young fledglings learning to fly and hunt for themselves.

Set against this visual portrait of the owls is a sound portrait of the park where children play, people walk their dogs, and runners pass by. The varied sounds of not-so-distant traffic, honking horns, and ambulance sirens don’t seem to deter these owls although they are acutely aware of the human presence that shapes their environment.