Did I neglect to mention that it was a large owl? Saturday evening I passed this owl napping on the fence post. We were both quite startled to be next to each other. I drove home, got my camera, and just knew it would be gone! Nope. It saw me coming—flew to the other side of the road and sat there while I took these pix. How cool was that?!!! It actually moved to the driver’s side of the road!!! The photos were taken from inside the van.
Talk about direct eye contact!
Then it flew to my neighbor’s tree. I knew this owl lived in our area—I’d hear it at night. But this is the first time I’ve seen an owl here over 5 years. Julie, you might remember the photos that I sent you of Hootie.
Carole, he is beautiful! Truly stunning. I think owls are such lovely birds and they serve such an important role in the food chain. They did a release of small white owls in Southeastern Ohio while I was in college – unfortunately, I think many of them left for more productive grounds.
Owls glide so silently, I’ve been startled in the woods at night when the cruise past just overhead. BTW, that sure looks liked a Barred Owl to me.
Garth
You’re right Garth, this was definitely a Barred Owl.
Owls are so fascinating and rare to actually see. I hear them all the time around here but I have not seen one (in the wild) in over 30 years.
WOW! Carole, great photos as always and such a beautiful subject. He is a very good model.
Funny, I bought Rudi the AKC stuffed owl last Friday. He’s only allowed to play with it after Peter comes home, they play fetch down the hall. Hasn’t shredded it up yet, though last night he got a little hole in the wing. Rudi loves his owl and Peter! JH 🙂