Kelvin let Pepper out around 10 p.m. last night amidst our large winter storm and saw a little backyard friend perched on the branch of our Japanese maple tree.
A closer look revealed that it was as owl!
We have seen various critters in our backyard over the years-- a fluffy gray cat (the most frequent visitor) that jumps over the fence in the back, a hawk eating a pigeon one time (not caught on camera), bluejays, and other random birds which I couldn't name, but I'd never seen an owl! Kelvin grabbed me to show me and tried to wake up the kids to show them, but the were not arousable. The owl's head was swiveling as we watched him (or her).
When Iver saw the picture of the bird this morning, he said immediately "that was a Great Horned Owl." While I have read many animal and nature books with both kids, bird identification is not my strong suit and I wasn't so sure (I thought they'd be bigger?). However, the National Park Service site for our area (including Redwood State/National Parks) did confirm that my six-year-old was right.
What a hoot!
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