Our old barn road winds down through some aging spruce, through a wet area, on its way to Southport State Road 27. About 100 feet from the end of the barn road, there is a small jog off to the right which skirts some ledge in a particularly dense and scrubby section of pucker brush. Not an area to hang out in but one which requires some trimming back from time to time so entry onto Southport Route 27 doesn’t result in conflicting interests! 

It turns out, this very same, somewhat troublesome area provides decent cover to critters of all variety, including today’s celebrity barred owl. As you can see from how “Owlie” blends in with the native undergrowth, it's a good hiding place. When I pulled up to the end of the barn road I don’t know how I actually noticed our little fine-feathered friend. I looked under the bed this morning, and there it was! Sometimes the most obvious is the least noticed.

Anyway, I never figured the owl would remain stationary with me in an idling auto, rolling down the window, hoping not to spook our guest. But, as luck would have it, Owlie remained quite calm and gazed at me with no recognizable annoyance. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing and figured the owl would take off at any moment, irritated with me and observation. Such was not the case. It was only about 10 feet away.

However, when I shut down the motor and stealthily raised my trusty Canon sidekick, I was amazed to see a continued calm and stillness staring back at me. The only movement I detected was some drifting snowflakes and an occasional twitch of the pivoting head for which owls are well known. But it did seem like there was something more distracting than I and the car and camera. With the window down, I heard what may have been a major concern. Overhead and collecting was a significant gathering of crows. It seemed as if they were coming from everywhere and they were some riled up! “Owlie” noticed too and a recognizable alert crossed between us. Crows and owls don’t mix and somehow the amassing army of crows had discovered an adversary, in spite of the excellent cover provided by the thick sheltered hiding place. Owlie’s head began to spin with glimpses in all directions. It occurred to me that sharing this hiding place may be a liability.

I made a series of quick photographs before the overhead sound of crows increased. It was as if Owlie was saying, “You better get your photo now Bub, cause I ain’t hanging here much longer.” The shutter clicks of my camera was all it took, and off into a deeper section of the woods went my friend. And the vigilant flock (aka “murder”) of crows took note! The scout crows, high above us in the tallest of trees, signaled the owl’s departure and the attack group began a more concerted effort. That was the last contact I had as the crows could be heard going nuts further off in the distance. Those kids don’t play! I hope their target escaped despite being grossly outnumbered.