Barred Owl

Yesterday Kevin and I went hiking at Lemoine's Point in Kingston..it was a beautiful day and we were rewarded with seeing and feeding chickadees, nuthatches and even a woodpecker...But our greatest sight of the day was this owl below. We were near the end of the trail and saw this family staring up into the trees, so we looked too and saw this Barred Owl sitting on a branch. The first picture below is our first view of him...not that great! So, we went into the forest where he would be facing us to get some shots...He was not afraid of us at all...mind you we didn't get too close anyway as we didn't want to scare him!

Here's a bit of info about the Barred Owl for you from Wikipedia:

The Barred Owl (Strix varia) is a large typical owl native to North America. It goes by many other names, including Eight Hooter, Rain Owl, Wood Owl, and Striped Owl, but is probably best known as the Hoot Owl based on its call.

The adult is 40–63 cm (16–25 in) long with a 96–125 cm (38–49 in) wingspan. Weight in this species is 500 to 1050 grams (1.1-2.3 lbs). It has a pale face with dark rings around the eyes, a yellow beak and brown eyes. It is the only typical owl of the eastern United States which has brown eyes; all others have yellow eyes. The head is round and lacks ear tufts, a distinction from the Short-eared Owl. The upper parts are mottled gray-brown. The underparts are light with markings; the chest is barred horizontally while the belly is streaked vertically. The legs and feet are covered in feathers up to the talons.

Next week I'll have some photos of the other birds we saw...Have a GREAT week!