Saturday, October 17, 2020

The Barred Owl hikes the Florida Trails!

 
Well, maybe he wasn't really hiking! But I WAS and I watched him fly across the trail and land in a tree nearby. I was hoping to see something special on this special day! It was the birthday of one of my sons and I always celebrate their birthdays even when we are miles apart. He is a nature loving son and it would have been fun to hike together but hopefully we'll do that another time. (we texted and talked on the phone)


I saw LOTS of birds on this hike. Flocks of warblers are showing up in here in Florida now but I'll save those photos for another day.


Seeing a Barred Owl needs a post of it's own! 


It's only the third time I've seen an owl on our hikes.


It flew to another tree but I stepped forward a few careful steps to take more photos.


He still sees me!


But he ignores me.


He's on the move! And now he's in a third tree! 
(I'm trying to keep up! lol)


Doesn't he blend into this tree?


He's so well camouflaged. 


His eye might even look like a hole in the tree!


Here's a photo the trail and you can see him in the very center of the photo. This is the section of the Florida Trails that I hike most often!

I'm glad I have a good zoom on this camera!


 BYE BYE

time to FLY!

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’. 


50 comments:

MadSnapper said...

Who is the most beautiful owl in the tree yes you are right it is me me me. He is absolutely stunning and I have never seen one in real life and you captured him in every environment every movement it's just amazing these photos are absolutely amazing. I love the one with the lifted wing and the one where he appears to be staring you in the eyes. What a blessing you had to find this bird

Tom said...

...beautiful, this is a sight that I have never seen.

eileeninmd said...

Hello,

Lucky you, I love the owls. It is always nice to see one out in the wild. Great sighting. Your photos are awesome too. I hope this owl sticks around, maybe a mate is nearby. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care and stay well. Have a great day, happy weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.

italiafinlandia said...

...always a treat to see an owl!
Enjoy your weekend.

Debbie said...

ooooh diane, you are right, these pictures deserve a post all there own. what a beautiful barred owl, you were lucky to catch the owl with such a beautiful background. the first image is really stunning!! enjoy the weekend, i hope you get out for a hike!!

Arlene G said...

Oh I love owls....there is one in the woods near Grimmwood. I have never seen him but I hear him.

Sandy said...

He definitely deserves a post of his own. Those are amazing pictures and that trail definitely looks like Florida around my parts.

Gayle said...

Great captures of a great bird. I especially like the one with its wings spread.

Yvonne said...

What a wonderful collection of photos on your special day to make it extra special. It would be so easy to miss the owl in your faraway photo, if it was not already known he was there. Enjoyed reading your post.

Jeanie said...

That barred owl is fabulous. Isn't their camo wonderful? They seem to pick just the right colored trees, too. We don't see owls here in the neighborhood and I've never spotted one at the lake. This is a great find.

Susie said...

Diane, Oh yes, those are great photos of that owl. I love seeing them. They do blend into the trees. Glad you saw it on your sons' birthday. Happy birthday to him. My daughter Kathy is a true birder. She took me year before last on mother's day on her hiking trail and showed me 4 horned owls. The parents and two fledglings. I was thrilled. Blessings to you, xoxo,love, Susie

Angie said...

WOW what a gift!

The Feminine Energy said...

Oh how beautiful! Thanks for sharing photos of your fellow hiker with us today. :-) I think my favorite picture is the one with his sleepy eyes, stretching his wing & the accompanying leg. Gave me a little chuckle! ~Andrea xoxo

Martha said...

You really captured some fantastic shot of the pretty owl. Happy birthday to your son :)

Connie said...

Great photos . . . owls are so much fun to watch. I wish that I had one around here . . . I could use a mouse eater. I spotted one in the mud room this week so I set a couple traps, got him on the second night. I reset my trap in case he has friends. We have that hay field across the road and I'm sure there are hundreds living there that will be searching for winter homes. Actually we have never had much of a problem, one or two a year, but that's one or two too many :)

Phil Slade said...

yes Diane. The owl is definitely worth a post all to itself. Your Barred owl is so much like our UK Tawny Owl. The last picture is super. Just like it's saying " OK you've had your fun, now off you go".

Salty Pumpkin Studio said...

Neat photos! His eye does look like a hole in the tree, perfect photo.

Lea said...

A very special sighting! Great photos!
Have a wonderful weekend!

Marcia said...

How very special that encounter was. What's it doing awake? The feathers are amazing at camoflaging the bird.

Terri D said...

What a great catch!! Happy birthday to your son!

RedPat said...

How wonderful to see this creature! I have only ever seen one owl in my life!

Bill said...

Stunning! Your photos of the owl and incredible and yes I agree too that the eye looks like a hole in the tree. Great shooting and thanks for sharing. Have a wonderful weekend.

Bob Bushell said...

Absolutely stunning the Barred Owl, wonderful/

Ann Thompson said...

Wow, these are amazing

Mae Travels said...

That’s a great sequence of photos of a very special bird!

be well... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

happyone said...

Wow fantastic shots of the owl. What a treat to see!!

Inger said...

Amazing pictures. Even though the owl was not too thrilled about posing for them. I love your trails.

Vee said...

He's a handsome fellow and his eye did look like an owl hidey-hole in the tree.

Barbara said...

How special it was to get such great pictures of the owl on your son's birthday! Wow. These pictures are really impressive.

Kathy said...

Great pictures of the owl! I have never seen an owl in the wild although I have seen many of them up close and personal when I worked at the natural history museum. They are wonderful birds.

NatureFootstep said...

Hi, what a wonderful post. Great shots of the owl showing it´s beauty and behavior. It is like it played hide and seek with you :) Really great shots.

Irma said...

Hi Diane,
What fantastic pictures of the owl.
Beautiful Sunday and stay healthy.
Greetings Irma

Anni said...

Wow Diane...beautiful, postcard perfect images(my favorite owl!!)

I thank you for your participation at I'd Rather B Birdin this week as always. And thanks for visiting my blog, Hootin' Anmi's

Juvenal Nunes said...

Uma caminhada que lhe proporcionou a observação de aves.
Belas imagens e bela ave.
Abraço.
Juvenal Nunes

David M. Gascoigne, said...

Any time spent with an owl is very special. A friend of mine recently had a Barred Owl in her backyard, and I think that if she lives to be a hundred she will not divest the euphoria of the event,

Nancy Chan said...

Beautiful barred owl and you took great photos of the owl. I have never seen a real owl except in photos.

ashok said...

Beautiful creature...great clicks

Rain said...

Wow!! The owls here hide in the forest and we never see them, but we do hear them. Thanks for sharing Diane! :)

Edna B said...

Awesome, awesome shots of the owl. What a beautiful bird. I don't think I've ever seen a real one up close in person. You have a wonderful day, hugs, Edna B.

Happy@Home said...

Wow, great photos of that beautiful owl. I would love to see one in person. How fun and extra special because it happened on your son's birthday. I love the bye bye photo.

Jenn Jilks said...

Aren't they wonderful?! They nested in our back 400 a couple of years ago. It was a blessing.

carol l mckenna said...

Oh these are marvelous photos of the awesome owl ~ what a treat on your son's birthday ~ So Happy Day to you and Happy Birthday to your son ~ Xox

Live each moment with love,

A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)

Lowcarb team member said...

Stunning!
Stunning!
Stunning!

What a treat to see this owl, I enjoyed seeing all of your photographs.

All the best Jan

Pamela M. Steiner said...

Oh you are SO blessed to see a Barred Owl, and to have the opportunity to get such great pictures. He was posing just for you! What a treat. I've had some wonderful experiences with Barred Owls in the past, but although we can hear them here sometimes at night, we've yet to see one. They are my most favorite of all the birds/owls to see, and the other is an Eagle, which I saw two of yesterday and wrote about it today too. So we are both having some wonderful bird sightings! 'Tis the season! Thank you for sharing these with us. I love it.

Teresa said...

Se ve precioso, me encantan. Besos y feliz cumpleaños para tu hijo.

Sandi Magle said...

Oh, my! what a Whoot! couldn't resist. Next camera I get will have a serious zoom on it. I miss so many photos...fiddling and waiting for mine to focus. GORGEOUS photos, and he is quite handsome. We have owls here, but they seem to think the tallest tree is where they should be, lol. Often see them landing atop a 80 foot Spruce in the next block.
Thanks for the gorgeous peeks into your trail, Sandi

EL RINCON DE CHELO said...

Preciosas fotografías!!! me encantan los búhos y las lechuzas

Red Rose Alley said...

What a beautiful Owl. Yes, he needs a post of his own. Not sure if I mentioned to you or not, but I've always wanted to see an Owl up close. How wonderful that you got to see this marvelous Owl and take pictures of it. The first picture it looks like he's looking right at you. Happy Birthday to your son, Diane. What a special gift this Owl was on his birthday. These are really fantastic photos.

~Sheri

2 gators said...

beautiful capture! Stopping by from I'd rather be birding

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

He is gorgeous!! What a wonderful sighting.