Garden Birds Harass a Young Tawny Owl

This image does not show a natural depiction of a zoological phenomenon. The birds are too evenly spaced, and with its white, dotted frame, the work looks somewhat like a decorative Art Nouveau poster. The happening depicted, however, is real: When songbirds spot an owl, they begin to squawk loudly—regardless of species—and even make mock attacks to warn other birds of a dangerous predator. Fritz has used this natural behavior several times to show some of his favorite birds together.

In 1974 Fritz had made a lithograph showing a similar motif (see down below).