If I hadn’t seen the Barred Owl fly up into this tree I might have walked by without noticing him. He sure saw me. It was a spot I’ve passed many times but never seen much happening. Rather dark with a heavy tree canopy, it’s not far from the bamboo area where a juvenile has been learning to hunt. I looked around to see if junior was here too, but didn’t spot him. Or maybe this was him, all grown up—it happens fast.
This Barred Owl sat quietly with his catch, a Five-lined Skink, a common lizard in South Carolina.
After squeezing it with his beak for a bit he transferred it to his talon. You can see the tail dangling below the branch in this next image.
I didn’t see any sign of life in the lizard, but the owl kept a firm hold for six or seven minutes before flying off with it.
Looking a little worse for the wear this Bard Owl was drying out after a rain
Way up in a pine tree this fuzzy Barred Owl Owlet was drying off after a downpour.
One of his parents was over by the bamboo pond; I did not spot the other, but don’t doubt it was nearby.
Based on previous year’s experience we’ll soon be seeing junior closer to the pond to get hunting lessons.
The sun was peeking in and out after a heavy late afternoon downpour. The tree canopy has filled in over the small pond below this Barred Owl’s perch further limiting the light on this gorgeous emerald scene.
Good morning! That is all.
This Barred Owl was perched way off the walking path, and about as deep into the woods as he could be and still be spotted.
There wasn’t much light and there were plenty of obstructions. But WHO can resist an owl? Not me.
November 11, 2019.
This Barred Owl struck up a nice pose on a broken tree stump off a trail in the woods behind the bamboo garden at Magnolia Plantation.
If Ted hadn’t seen the Owl fly into the area we might have passed on by without spotting him.
I was delighted to find this Barred Owl perched over the bamboo pond yesterday morning. Reports from many of my photographer friends have been that the Barred Owl Owlet was feeding himself and neither he nor the adults had been spotted recently.
I’m not sure if this is the chick from this year or one of the parents, or maybe a completely different owl. He did treat me to one swoop over the water then did some grooming.
I didn’t see him catch anything and he was content to look around.
Click on any image for a larger view.
This morning the male Barred Owl did land in a sunny spot over the pond while he was hunting and I was in a good spot. I didn’t know until later, but the female and owlet were in the trees behind me waiting for their breakfast.
Today was the first time I’d been to the swamp in a week due to the extreme heat we’ve been having. We went early and were home by noon. It was already 95 F (35 C).
