During our dinner last night, I happened to see a flurry in a tree about 50 feet from the house when a barred owl came in to set a while. It's a tall straight old pine and the owl set right next to the trunk on a horizontal limb. Once it held still, it was almost the same color and texture of the trunk and very hard to see. As it was sitting in plain sight, we could finish our dinner in peace and use the binoculars to watch every move. It ruffled its feathers and settled in, first watching all the birds and squirrels at the feeders, then just closing its eyes for a nap. What a delight, to be able to see that glorious bird so clearly, and even get some pretty good pictures with the zoom on the camera. The evening light let us get some good shots.
After a while, he woke up, stretched, preened a bit, then moved in big swooping flights, to the maple, then almost got a squirrel at the corn feeder just a few feet outside the window. While at that tree, he coyly peeped back at us, as if to say, I see you too! At one point, he was looking in the window directly at Jim. They both looked equally fascinated with each other. So wonderful that the owl didn't seem afraid at all, just curious.
What a joy it is to share our lives with these magnificent birds. We seldom see them so clearly, and usually just hear the calls. This sighting went on for over an hour and we hope he's going to settle in and use our backyard for his naps all summer.
It's been a long time since I wrote. I think this winter just sent my creativity into hibernation and I couldn't surface for way too long. It looks like Spring is finally going to happen around here, and things are emerging and awakening all around us. Yesterday was a day spent wandering around the old place snipping off and clearing off old dead greenery and looking for signs of new life arriving. This owl was a great sign of life reawakening. Maybe, finally, Spring is on its way?
