My husband and I went for a country drive on a beautiful but cold Valentine's Day to see if there were any winter birds to be found. The morning temperature was -15 C but the sun was warm and walking on trails was very comfortable. While meandering toward home on a quiet dirt road, a pine tree caught my attention. I thought there was something in the cavity, perhaps a raccoon or other animal peeking out, and stopped for a look.
Well what do you know! An Eastern Screech Owl was sitting in the open enjoying the sunshine. This grey morph owl is extremely well camouflaged and blends in so well with the bark that from a distance it looks like a piece of wood. I have seen a few owls in the wild but someone else has always pointed them out to me. This was the first one I found on my own. I am sure many owls have watched me from a perch as I passed by unaware they were there. Screech Owls are mainly nocturnal so to find one in the early afternoon was a real bonus.
I love the door frame of this tree cavity and everything else about the picture of this little owl. Here is one more parting shot. We were being observed closely through the almost closed eyes but the bird never moved. Needless to say, this discovery made my day!
The owl is a cutie. I can see how you could walk right by it and never notice it at all.
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