A barred owl

On this morning's walk, I saw what I first thought was a hawk glide across the road. It landed on a branch of a nearby tree, and remained still, watching me closely. I realized it was an owl, probably a barred owl. We live in a neighborhood full of old hardwood trees, punctuated by a long watershed/sewer easement, so have good habitat for barred owls, which like forested areas.

A couple of summers ago, we had a nest nearby, and every evening for several weeks, one or two of the young owls would perch on a branch of the black walnut on the edge of the forest, hunting for dinner.

One day, early, I caught a glimpse of one near the house, and managed to catch a blurry image, before it left.