This is the fourth owl we have been fortunate to photograph since living out of town for 11 years. We hear them quite often and have at times been startled by their sudden appearance while out walking. They will sit on dead old branches close to the walking path and as you round a corner there they are right in your face! The path is an old dirt road and must be a great place for an owl to scope out tasty small critters. I once had an owl in the yard with an injured wing. After getting some advice on how to capture it, I chased him/her around until I could get a blanket over, scoop it up and into a large box. The Wild Arc Society took the owl home to help him/her mend and heal. The owl in this picture is much lighter in appearance than the previous owls we have seen. I'm not sure if it's the time of year or if it's a different variety. A few years back there was a research group surveying the area for a particular type that was rare. It had a distinctive "voice" and we had been hearing it but not seeing it. (Edited: The owl in this photo is a "barred owl" http://www.owlpages.com/owls.php?genus=Strix&species=varia)
2 comments:
How nice that you have wildlife right out your door.
How cool that is to have owls in the neighborhood. Love that photo!
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