This Barred Owl (Strix varia) saw me long before I saw it, monitoring my movements from afar while perched in this tree on a cloudy May morning. Those enormous dark eyes tracked me in a relaxed fashion as I was still rather far away when I noticed it. I had been watching several warblers and a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher before my eyes stumbled on this slightly larger species.
Barred Owls are, of course, usually snoozing during the day, but not always – and the spring season is when I have seen them the most active diurnally. This bird did not wake up because I was there, nor was it sleepy. In fact, I heard it calling repeatedly, “Who cooks for you?” later on as the sound resonated throughout the woodlands.
Scott Kruitbosch
Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
