When Jim and I came home from church this noon we took a slow tour around our landscape. So many plants are blooming now: lilacs, lupins, day lilies, peonies (just beginning), baby's breath, irises, and too many other to name them all. I tease Jim that it's Jim's Jungle, but it is wonderful, perhaps especially the brilliant poppies.
We looked over the raised beds of the vegetable garden and he picked four enormous radishes for lunch. One little tomato was ripe.
Then we heard a cat-like cry, repeated many times and thought perhaps there was a little lost kitten back of the garden in the shelter belt. So we went to investigate. To our surprise we found an owl perched on a branch, staring at us. And owls can stare! It left with a soundless flutter of wings. And we discovered this nest. It's very large and made of quite thick twigs. Can you imagine putting that together with just your feet and mouth? Birds need to work very hard to raise their young!
It was so too bad I didn't have my camera along to "catch" the owl. We went inside, had some lunch, and then I thought, "Maybe the owl is still there. I should take my camera out and see if I can get a picture."
Sure enough, when I came near the shelter belt the owl flew out and perched in a larch on the east side of the garden. I waited very quietly, but he/she didn't show up. So I crept quietly around and there it was, keeping track of me. So alert! I managed to get this one good shot, and was trying for another. Just as I tripped the shutter the owl left. I have a blurry picture of a wing and a foot.
Sometime during the winter I posted a white owl, quietly resting in the edge of the shelter belt, in this same area. The magpies startled and flew away when a train came by, but the owl simply swivelled its head and followed the train as it passed by. Now I think this might be the same owl.
We're very happy to have this owl nesting on our property, especially considering how they prey on mice. Welcome, dear Owl. Glad to have you here!
We looked over the raised beds of the vegetable garden and he picked four enormous radishes for lunch. One little tomato was ripe.
It was so too bad I didn't have my camera along to "catch" the owl. We went inside, had some lunch, and then I thought, "Maybe the owl is still there. I should take my camera out and see if I can get a picture."
Sure enough, when I came near the shelter belt the owl flew out and perched in a larch on the east side of the garden. I waited very quietly, but he/she didn't show up. So I crept quietly around and there it was, keeping track of me. So alert! I managed to get this one good shot, and was trying for another. Just as I tripped the shutter the owl left. I have a blurry picture of a wing and a foot.
Sometime during the winter I posted a white owl, quietly resting in the edge of the shelter belt, in this same area. The magpies startled and flew away when a train came by, but the owl simply swivelled its head and followed the train as it passed by. Now I think this might be the same owl.
We're very happy to have this owl nesting on our property, especially considering how they prey on mice. Welcome, dear Owl. Glad to have you here!
Awesome how you "captured" this photo!
ReplyDeleteLOVE your owl picture. How exciting to watch this bird as it raises it's family! Would love to see other pictures of the owl over the season.
ReplyDelete