ken..the camouflage in nature is amazing..after years of practice I can spot the critters..

Took a while to see it!

i see it, i love the visitors as long as they are not destructive.

Kathy..it was easier to see in person..

old_dirt..I would say my most destructive visitors are squirrels..and slugs..

I'm jealous. Only ever saw an owl twice where I live. Heard it's hooting at night and grabbed the flashlight! Great horned owl, I was amazed by the wingspan when it took off!

StevePA..if you like wildlife this is a good place..I love our setting..I agree that owls and hawks are big..there's a shadow when they fly over..

How cool is that!

Hear them and never see them. Bummer.....but nice shots.

- Jon

I’ma Citay girl, ah hum, but I saw him right away! He’s awesome sitting there surveilling his domain——3rd pic was best—— he was putting on a show for you. You have beautiful surroundings!

newhostalady..iI agree..it's cool!..

Jon..that's happened to me too..they're very hard to see sitting high in the trees..

djacob..he was looking right at me when I was taking pics through the french door..

What kind of owl? Is uit a Barred Owl?

So cool! Lucky you!

How wonderful! Your photos are terrific. I love owls. We had one several years ago in the oak by our deck. He flew to a neighbor's tree and I went out to watch him. He then came back over my head as he went across toward the woods. He was completely silent. I was awestruck. They are magical creatures and all too rare around here.

Oh and I would add chipmunks to the list of most destructive creatures. Hate them.

He's a beautiful animal. We live in the woods, and once in a rare while one will fly out of a tree and startle me. They're so silent when they fly and so noisy at night. Bloodthirsty of me, but I love having them keep the rabbits and voles down.

garyz..yes..we think it's a Barred Owl..

popmama..I do feel lucky to have owls here..love them..

cyn..thanks for the compliment!..in some pics taken here the background's fuzzy..too many leaves maybe?..I love an owl's personality..just sitting quietly..observing everything..as opposed to squirrels acting squirrelly Lol..chipmunks are cute but they are trouble makers..

MadPlanter..I've thought about the plus side of fewer rodents and rabbits too..hey every animal needs to eat..

It blends in so well with the tree trunks. You're lucky to see so many owls at your place. I hear them at night sometimes, but have only seen one once at dusk. A Great Horned Owl was sitting on a neighbor's roof top antennae eating what looked like a rat that it just caught.

sandyslopes..I hope you get a chance to see one up close someday..this afternoon 2 came by!!

You still got more good shots even if your hubby was loudly enthusiastic, lol. You must have some good hunting in your yard for the one to tell a friend. And I thought they slept during the day.

these owls are actually pretty calm..they hang around longer than songbirds..my husband's hearing isn't as good as mine..he doesn't quite realize just how loud he talks..

All very nice shots, thanks. And yes, it is a Barred Owl.

tj

Missed this post yesterday....... don’t want to tell you how long it took me to find the owl, glad I persisted. It’s been decades since I’ve seen an owl here, that’s so cool. Hmm, now I wonder if I could borrow that owl to take care of my bunny problem ; )

Sherry

Sherry..I wish there were more owls..they're magnificent..

Awesome, thanks for sharing. I love seeing the non-corrected photos. Wish we had more here too.

What a great sighting nw, especially seeing the pair! You are very fortunate!

I have plenty of owls but I think because I live in the middle of a forest they are shyer and have not much reason to come into view. I did see one sleeping in a tree with it's back to me but did not want to disturb it trying position myself to get in front of it.

My DD got a wonderful view of one in our lane way one night. She was driving and had no time to get a pic.

I remembered today that I have seen an owl during the day. It was on a ledge with its three baby owls. I must have posted that pic a while back. .... I wish I would see owls more often, but I see a lot of hawks around during the day. It's hard to get any good photos, which is why your post is such a treat to be able to learn what a Barred Owl looks like.

steve..you're welcome!..I love seeing everyone's pics and try to share some myself..

peren..our neighborhood is within walking distance to a large park..so we have animal visitors..it WAS fun to see a pair..I kept my distance when I took pics..like you I didn't want to scare or disturb them..

sandyslopes..that would've been fun to see 3 babies!..it IS difficult to get good pics..owls blend in..my yard is dark..sometimes they're up high..after I came in it last night I heard one..I could barely see it sitting on my arbor in the dark..would've been impossible to take a pic..

https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&id=07664B0162A23F8D314E75A1C2E55BDA184D77DA&thid=OIP.vCCb089NWrRyjyDIfoh1xQHaEx&mediaurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kenconwayphotography.com%2Fimg%2Fs%2Fv-3%2Fp364803667-4.jpg&exph=516&expw=800&q=gooseberry+neck%2c+snowy+owl&selectedindex=16&qpvt=gooseberry+neck%2c+snowy+owl&ajaxhist=0&vt=0&eim=0,1,2,6 There is a neck of land called Gooseberry Neck in Westport MA which used to be where spotting towers were sited in WWII. The people abutting it take some really nice photos of the wildlife and the Ocean. During the winter a snowy owl is around and justifiably is the subject of a lot of photos. A gorgeous animal. Sorry if I'm drifting too far afield.

- Jon

Jon..I love it..just beautiful..I do NOT understand people that don't love animals..

Fantastic new visitors! Hard to see, it blends perfectly into the surrounding garden. I hope the stay for a while :-)

I would love to see one myself. I had been with my grandson to a nature park where they have a spectacular flight show with different birds, one was a snow owl and it was a breathtaking beauty.

Karin..I could see them really well in person..a pic isn't quite the same.. what a great experience to have owls in my own backyard :-) "breathtaking beauty" is the perfect description of a snow owl..they're fabulous!..

How exciting!!

Being a citay girl, I feel lucky when I see woodpeckers and once in a great while a hawk. Of course I live under the winged migration Of the magnificent Canadian geese. Every spring and fall I can see them and hear their honking. I go running out to see them in their v formations. I live about an hours drive from the Horicon Marsh where they are protected. One year when we were visiting the marsh, their were thousands and thousands of them. They were flying in from all directions around dusk. There were many in the water. Then all of a sudden, one bird arose and all the birds did so as well. It was like a curtain of birds all flying up. It was amazing!

P.S. nicholsworth and Jon —- love the pictures! In the first he blended in sooo well.

the owls are still here..I haven't seen them as much during the day but when I'm outside working late I hear them..