Since taking a hike with Ashley, I’ve been traveling a little extra during Canemah hikes to see if I can spot the dark visitor we spotted but couldn’t identify. And today… I found him! In almost exactly the same place, stalking a squirrel (apparently he had one squirrel pinned and the other was chattering vociferously at him). When I walked by, he took off into a tree and the squirrel darted out a few minutes later.
I marked the tree and stepped off the path to see if I could see him.
It’s pretty dark back there, so the photo quality is not the best. But I’m going to tentatively ID this as a Great Horned owl.
I’m a little unsure because I don’t see “horns”, but nothing else in my ID book fits.
I’m going to email this to the Audubon society to get a firm ID.
This is so exciting for me! I’ve always wanted to see an owl in the wild.
It was really cool the way he waggled his head checking me out.
I just couldn’t be more thrilled!