OWLS VEX ME in the same way cats do. What the hell are they thinking? Are they really as smart as they look? How do they (owls, not cats) swivel their heads like that?
They’ve been elusive on my photography journey, too. I’ve encountered few during my tramps in the woods, although It’s probably truer to say that I just haven’t noticed them as they blended still and quiet into the woodwork. That bad luck ended recently when a few birders pointed me to a nearby spot where two sets of barred owls were nesting.
Owl babies awaiting Momma’s return.
I spent several hours over a few days observing these magical creatures. Bored anticipation mixed with endless adjustments to settings to be ready when Momma or Papa Owl blessed us with photogenic activity. Fellow camped-out photographers recounted — bragged on? — the shots they captured on days when I was absent: the time Papa brought three turtles to the nest in quick succession, the time when a blue jay got too nosey and WWE broke out, the time when….
The hours paid off eventually for me.
I won’t be there when these young ones fledge, but I do remember a sleepy Sunday years ago when I paused my morning coffee on the back porch to rescue a young fledgling from my pool and prop her in a tree to dry out and then resume owl life. It was a close encounter that even my new braggart photog friends could appreciate.
Barred owl Momma heads off to hunt or set up watch on the nest.