My "birding" goal for this year was to see as many different species of
owls and woodpeckers as possible, but my plans to do that were derailed
in April, and for the last four months, I have been in Northwest
Missouri helping a cousin who had pneumonia and heart surgery.

However, while I was there, I did get to visit the Squaw Creek Wildlife
Refuge and was fortunate to see my first live Barred Owl up close and
personal. She posed on a low branch about six feet from the car and was
still sitting there 15 minutes later when we drove slowly away. A
little later, we watched through the binos as several red-headed
woodpeckers flew back and forth from one high treetop to another--making
us wonder if they were nesting. We saw many other birds, too, of
course--indigo bunting, many blackbirds, some heron and egrets and
loons, and even a few raccoons getting their supper from the lagoon--but
the best part for me was the owl and the woodpecker!

When I returned to Washington, the forest vegetation that I had trimmed
back 10-20 feet from my house had reasserted itself, so I had that to do
over again. But in the process, I have been watching the Jays,
chickadees, nutcracker, song sparrows, a female Western Tanager, and six
doe--each one with a set of twin fawns! Not a bad trade-off.

Darlene