Hi Jim, It's really a treat to see the owls during the day. During 2003, I saw a pair of Barred Owls hunting and sharing a meal (an unfortunate snake) during the day. It appeared the male had caught the meal and was offering it to the female. I was watching them for a while before they realized I was spying on them and turn around on the branch of the tree on which they both perched to eat in privacy (I walked down the trail and let them alone). Enjoy the sightings, they are special! IE Ries Jim Blowers <jimvb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) } 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 "Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul And sings the tune without the words And never stops at all." --Emily Dickenson Mercy for birds, wild birds http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/no-vulture-culling The Parakeet Perch - Budgie community http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheParakeetPerch/ --------------------------------- Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search.