Barred Owl
Adams Road, Haydenville
Photograph and text by Jeff Pilger, Haydenville,
Early one recent Saturday morning my son, Graham, noticed this beautiful barred owl resting on a branch in the sunlight of a nearby tree outside our home in Haydenville. I grabbed the camera and eagerly captured some images through the window. Quietly, I opened the window as the owl paid no attention to me and allowed me to snap away. The barred owl’s hooting call, “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you-all?” is a classic sound of old forests and treed swamps. But this attractive owl, with soulful brown eyes and brown-and-white-striped plumage, can also pass completely unnoticed as it flies noiselessly through the dense canopy or snoozes on a tree limb. At night it hunts small animals, especially rodents. An owl sighting is always a wonderful experience.
This photo was made with DSLR and a super-telephoto lens.
Jeff Pilger is affiliated with the Robert Floyd Photo Gallery, 2 East St., Southampton. Other images are on view there Tuesdays and Sundays, 1 to 6 p.m.; Wednesdays from 5 to 7 p.m. and by appointment.