Louie

I finally found the skunk cabbage in bloom! Luckily I couldn't get tooo close to smell it. . . .
I flushed an owl out - probably from her nest. She only flew a short distance, and kept me and Buzz in her sights. When he got too close, she flew again, but again only a short way, and circling back toward her origin. I followed her, as she wanted me to, so that she didn't feel her nest was being threatened. I love the 'red-eye' from the flash! She is likely a Barred Owl, from what I could see. They get 16"-25", but don't have "ears" like the Great Horned Owl. I think we have both of those around, and a smaller one, probably a saw-whet or barn, which likes to fly across our driveway at dusk right at windshield level.

I am seeing evidence of lots of predators in the woods this spring - owls, hawks, eagles and coyotes, mostly. The rabbit population has peaked, and is now falling, so competition will be fierce. The deer are moving around a lot, too, chewing up the trails with their hooves. It's going to be busy in the woods this year!