Friday, April 29, 2016

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS WITH BARRED OWLS

Barred Owl

We are all visionaries,
and what we see is our soul in things.

Henri Amiel

In her poem "White Owl Flies Into and Out of the Field," Mary Oliver described an owl she once observed as "an angel, or a Buddha with wings."  This imagery has frequently resurfaced in my mind during the past week as I have studied the daily habits of the male barred owl pictured above, his mate, and the two young owlets that were born to the couple just a few weeks ago, and who are now in their fledgling phase.

On the day after first sighting the large male, I discovered him again, sitting on the limb of a tree within 25 feet of our front porch.  As soon as I peered through the viewfinder of my camera, a young owlet peeped out of a rotten cavity in an adjacent tree, informing me for the first time that this was a springtime family affair.  A couple of days later, two owlets emerged from the top of the rotten tree and eventually developed the courage to jump to a branch.  Since then, they have been struggling to understand their bodies, especially the large wings, while simultaneously trying to survive aggressive crow attacks and the piercing eyes of the red-shouldered hawks which are also abundant in these woods.  Through it all, the large male has been truly amazing, providing the young owlets with broad latitude to fail as they experiment with life, yet always ready to swoop down when necessary to protect them from predators.

Set forth below are some of the images I have taken of the barred owls, especially the young owlets.  Enjoy.

With this post, I hope to begin posting on a more regular basis.  It's been thirteen months since my last post, a sabbatical that happened without design as I simply tried to spend more time in the moment — and in movement.





















16 comments:

  1. How lovely to see these lovely birds so often through their development.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Penny. Glad you enjoyed the photos of my neighbors.

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  2. Oh ... the feathered detail in the last image. They are the definition of "cute" when they are babies and the definition of "grand" - perhaps - when they are fully grown. He has such dignity! Mary Oliver's poetry is spot on of course! Just love her. I hope to capture many birds in photographs along the Blue Ridge Parkway come June - it will be in my new "back yard" so to speak.

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    1. Thanks for the lovely comment, Margaret. I'm curious to know the general area of your new back yard. I live in the upstate South Carolina, and I'm spend quite a bit of time in the Blue Ridge mountains, which are only about a 30 minute drive from my house.

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  3. Hi George, I'm glad to see you and your photograpy again. These are splendid photos of Daddy owl and the little ones. I hope the fledglings remain safe. I'm in CA right now, taking a respite from the snow.

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    1. Thanks for your generous comments, Barb. So far, the fledglings are still safe, thanks to the vigilance of their two brave parents. Enjoy your stay in CA. As beautiful as the snow is in CO, we all need periodic breaks away from our homes.

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  4. George - Extraordinary photos and words, which represent the remarkable approach and care you bring to Life. Your observations of the father's latitude and care of these awkward, fuzzy creatures with haunting eyes are touching, and I feel connected more myself with Life as a result. Thank you for that. I have missed this, your presence in the world, which somehow acts as a conduit for Spirit. Of course you have been here all along, living in the moment, but it's nice to reconnect.

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  5. Thank you so much, Ruth, for your lovely, generous comments. You've made my day.

    It was such a rare privilege to spend intimate moments with these owls for more than a week. I'm am still learning, and one thing I tend to learn over and over again is that nature is The Great Teacher. All that I need to know is there. The key is to simply remain attentive, open, and mindful. As the the Tao Te Ching teaches us, paradoxically, one must become empty in order to become full.

    Yes, it's great to reconnect. Let's stay reconnected!

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  6. I love owls! And I love these photos. I have only seen owls in person twice in my life, so I cannot tell you how much I appreciate this post. You have a great blog, sir.

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    1. Thanks for dropping by, Keith, and thanks also for the generous comments. Glad you liked the images of the the barred owl family that resided for a few weeks just beyond my window.

      I've checked out your own blog and like what I see there. I plan to add it to my blogroll so that I can stay current with your postings.

      I'm sure it's great to be living in a small village in Germany. My wife lived for a while in Germany, and we are both lifelong Europhiles.

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  7. Wonderful comeback post to such a great blog. Thank you so much for sharing these incredible photos and your insightful words.

    Hope you are able to blog more frequently, but if you are too busy just enjoying moments and movement, that's OK too!

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    1. Many thanks for your lovely comments, George. Here's hoping you will drop by again.

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  8. I had not realized you'd posted ... it's such a wonderful post, too. Owls have come to represent so many things for me and your photos are a joy to see. Watching little ones get their bearings is always rewarding.

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    1. Thanks, Teresa, for your lovely comment. Great to hear from you. I'm been on a bit of a sabbatical from blogging, but I'm trying to get back in the saddle. I've missed my blogging friends.

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  9. Dear George
    So good to read your blog again. Your words have value for all of us. Nature has much to teach us . Thank you for being the observer and recorder to remind me what I truly know. Only nature can teach us the lessons we need at this point in our lives . Ed and I are housesitting for 10 days at a beautiful farm in Chestertown. We can see nothing but trees , fields and wildlife.. What an inspiration nature is.. I loved your telling of the owls. How wonderful to be a part of that owl family. Owls are so special . It is a scenario being replayed at our farmhouse here where a nest is being constructed by our front door in an impossible place---- right betweenn a light fixture and the back wall of the porch. We watch them every day marveling at their ability to squeeze or shall I say "tuck" into this tiny space. Their are now 4 eggs. We wait.
    So thank you for the beautiful pictures of these majestic creatures ---for making my day---and for being. " back." You have been sorely missed my friend. Peace ,Ritze


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    1. Thanks for your lovely and generous note, Ritze. How wonderful that you and Ed have ten days of housesitting on a beautiful farm in Chestertown. It's such a great area, and it has abundant opportunities to spend time with nature in general and wildlife in particular.

      Following my owl family has been one of the highlights of this year. I'm sure you're going to enjoy watching the owl activity in your current surroundings. Once the young owls are born, it's exciting to watching them in the "branching" phase, where they make the transition between leaving the nest and learning to fly.

      All the best to both of you. I'm off this morning for some fly fishing lessons. Just another reason to enjoy the streams in the Blue Ridge mountains just north of me. We miss you both. Come see us.

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