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barred owl -- up close and personal!
- To: carolinabirds@duke.edu
- Subject: barred owl -- up close and personal!
- From: "Leah Campbell" <faeriemaiden@hotmail.com>
- Date: Fri, 06 Jun 2003 22:26:18 -0400
- Delivered-to: pardo@metalab.unc.edu
- Sender: carolinabirds-owner@acpub.duke.edu
Dear C-Birders,
Yesterday evening (around 5pm) I had a most unusual (and wonderful) birding
experience. I was sitting in the backyard of a friend's house, observing a
pair of gray catbirds. (I just love listening to their jumbled song and
mewing notes.) Scanning the surrounding trees, my eyes fell upon something
very similar in shape and color to a hornets' nest. I raised my binoculars
and immediately recognized a barred owl! There it was, sitting perfectly
still, in the shade of a medium-sized ash tree. I had been wondering why a
pair of thrashers were wheezing and flying about. Feeling certain the owl
would fly off at any moment, I crept ever so slowly toward it. I made it all
the way to the tree trunk before he even stirred. Only 10 feet above my head
now, he looked straight at me. I froze. He then blinked and proceeded to
preen his feathers! It was if my presence made no difference to him! He
ignored me just as he ignored the thrashers swooping down in front of him. I
even watched him scratch his "chin" with his foot! As far as I know, he
stayed there until dark. If only I had had my camera!!!
Leah
Leah Campbell
Cornwell, SC
faeriemaiden@hotmail.com
"In order to see birds, it is necessary to become a part of the silence."
Robert Lynd
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