He's been posing for me.
He has been around awhile. This video has his call, as he and his partner are singing to one another, four weeks ago. Basically, she sits on the nest a month, then they feed the chicks for a month. My granddaughters were playing in the forest gully when they scared off the owl. I heard them again, in the same spot, and thought I'd record them. It's a lovely song!
I heard them calling back and forth:
'Who-cooks-for-you? Who-cooks-for-you-aaallll?'Barred owl from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.
I knew it was about time that the chicks would be demanding food. Out I went just prior to dusk. I heard the chick, and narrowed it down to this tree! I believe there is only one chick.When I approached the tree, the lone chick stopped its horrible wailing. I walked all around the tree, which is on the far side of the wetland/gully, and then decided on a vantage point to wait for the adults. The bright green cat tails look yummy in the bottom of the bog.
Here it is, wailing in the tree.
Barred owl chick howl from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.
Out near dusk, Bob said to listen for the owl chicks begging for food. I only heard one, and it is the most mournful sound. The parents were off getting food. I haven't seen the female, only the male in the day time, sleeping on a branch.
I heard something else in the forest, farther up the wetland, which is knee-deep, or so. Quietly, I
prayed it was a deer. It was not. I knew I shouldn't run, despite having an incredible urge to do so. I kept talking to myself, stay put, don't move.
I froze, then, as he moved left, I thought I might just back up a bit. It could smell me, for sure.
It slowed down and, thankfully, is a normal bear and was afraid of me. We do have hunters in the forest. People can't be a good thing for them.
This is from our backyard!
Bear went over the mountain from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.
16 comments:
That owl is so beautiful! I have heard them here but have never seen one.
The barred awl sighting is wonderful, hope you see the young one too. You deserved that glass od wine after the encounter with the bear.
ok, you win, hands down, i will never complain about my critters again!!!
magnificent captures of the owls, your images are brilliant, you should share them in an enlarged format!!!
That's a good perch for a nest. And the bear reacted just the way it should by bolting.
Hari OM
a normal bear... Now you have me wanting to see an unnormal bear!!! Golly, I know it is heart-racing, but oh the joy of having such wildlife on one's own property! YAM xx
Wow! Nesting Barred Owls AND a bear in your backyard! Awesome.
Fantastic post! So lovely to see the owls and the bear. Great videos too.
You'd better stay out of the woods or else learn to run very very fast. You don't hear much about damage from bears in your area. Bears here can be a nuisance.
What a beautiful owl – your pictures are really nice. I listened to the owl in your video and realized that I had heard that same sound at night in the backyard – and I thought it was a dove! To show you how much I know … But I know that I would have been quite scared to be so close to a bear in the woods – you are a courageous soul!
Great video capture of the bear. It looked like a young one. It certainly was frightened off when it noticed you. Hope it evades the hunters as well. How lucky you are to have nesting barred owls. How lucky we are that you share them on your blog. Thanks, Jennifer!
Hello, cool bear sighting. The poop is not too great though.
I do love the bear video, awesome yard visitor.
Happy Wednesday, enjoy your day!
Well, thank-you for answering that age old question about what bears do in the woods!
I hear my owls talking to each other but rarely see them. No sign of bears yet but the moose are hanging out.
A liiiiiittle bit too close for comfort.. but beautiful. And the owls are just stunning. Good catches for both.
Beautiful owl -- but don't get too close to that handsome bear! Gosh! I just commented about how your flowers remind me of a Nature Park -- now you have the birds and animals that people travel all over to go see -- and all in your own backyard. Fantastic.
You're very brave. We saw a moose across the driveway at the cottage this past weekend. That's a first.
Post a Comment