Thrilling Backyard Visitor

This is part of our view as we sit by the pool each day after we finish lunch. It was a noisy 15 minutes.

The tallest trees above were full of black birds. Screeming and diving, about 20 of them.

I said do you see the hawk? they are upset.

The screeching was so bad I stood to go in the house. Bob said

LOOK LOOK up in the tallest palm.

I raced inside for the camera. The Nikon not the phone

In the trees above and the two below He is THERE?

if you enlarge, he can be seen.

he is on the left bottom just above the dead palm frond stick. in all these photos.

enlarge we can see his eyes which followed me every where I went.

I stood peering at him with the zoom 

and suddenly He looked me right in the eyes.

The Barred Owl we have been hearing was sitting there with black birds diving at him.

One bird smacked him on his shoulder, he just sat there.

I Madly Snapped

We were so thrilled we talked about him for hours and every time I go out I look for him.

I found that the barred owl is one of few who hunt in daytime hours.

For a week now we have blamed the hawks for all the feathers found on the pool deck.

Each day I fussed about the hawk eating the jays and he was misjudged.

The Owl is Here, we are in love with him.

Hooty is welcome. Hawks are common as robins here.

we have seen screech owls in early hours several times but never an owl like this.

He is a Lifer for both of us and now  I get what that word means to bird watchers.

I stood inside our kitche door watching him for another 20 minutes. each time I moved he focused on my eyes from the top of a 40 foot palm, that was 40 feet away, he could see my eyes

inside the glass door.