FreeLists / va-richmond-general / [va-richmond-general] Owl

["Jim Blowers" <jimvb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Shortly before noon today, I went running in my neighborhood south of
Chester. I ran into the woods behind the swimming pool to check up on some
developers that were digging and causing noise in a nearby plot of land,
when all of a sudden, I heard a whoosh noise. I looked to the left and saw a
huge bird. I thought it was a hawk. But when I took a look at its front, I
saw a huge ellipse instead of a point, with large dark eyes in it. I think
that it was an owl. I looked in the bird book and concluded that it was a
barred owl. It was really huge, definitely larger than a red-shouldered
hawk. It did not have tufts, and its eyes were dark, ruling out a great
horned owl or a great gray owl. I didn't hear any "who cooks for you".
Unfortunately, I did not have my camera.

 

I am wondering how often owls come out in the daytime. I thought they were
strictly night birds. Perhaps I scared it from where it was with my running,
or perhaps the developers have it on the run. 

 

Jim Blowers