Yesterday in my woods looking for mushrooms a flutter of wings brought a
Barred Owl to my attention. It was close by and like most its kind quite
undisturbed as I came back a took several pictures. Since a few years ago my
kids had some encounters fishing for a barred owl they named George, I call
all such owls in my woods by that name. Later I had some branches to cut up
for firewood and of course the first law of chainsaws was in affect (a
chainsaw never starts when you need it) and so I used a hand pruning saw.
After several minutes I sat down for a break and there was George, perched
companionably close by and staring intently at me. I was ready for good
break so I sat with George admiring the many shapes he contorted himself
into, first stretching long and at an angle, then hunching over almost
round. Lots of fluffing and preening, including very delicately running each
talon through his beak.

Finally I got tired of the owl show and went back to sawing and George moved
into the tree on a branch almost directly overhead and gave me the
inscrutable owl unblinking stare down. Perched on my knees in the moss and
looking up at him I certainly understood what a mouse must feel like. After
a bit more sawing a flash of wings in my peripheral vision made me look over
as George was diving onto the ground about 25 feet away. He came up with
something in his talons which turned out to be a red-legged frog, which he
carried to a nearby and easily observed perch and then, with several
swallows, gulped the frog down whole. For several minutes after the froggy
snack he keep opening and closing his bill, sometimes with his head pointed
upwards. Then he settled down, fluffed his feathers out and watched me with
one eye as I finished my wood work.

Early this morning, George was making lots of great spooky Halloween owl
noises, a few of which I have not heard before. He was not around today, at
least that I could find. The squirrels around here however seem especially
jittery, today one jumped off the bird feeder so hard that it knocked the
feeder down. A jay congratulated himself for spooking the rodent, and was
happy to help clean up.

Rob Sandelin
Naturalist, Writer
The Environmental Science School
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