A few days ago I noticed there was silence and an abnormal absence of the regular feathered friends visiting the bird feeders hanging on the back deck so I stepped outside to take a look. Recent deadly tornadoes in the area followed by a few days of strong winds disrupted the birds' normal activities. Much to my surprise, straight ahead and looking directly at me I spotted a magnificent huge owl, (I believe it is a barred owl), perched on a branch across the stream in the woods behind my house.
I snapped a few photos with my smartphone and took a quick look at them. The quality was grainy and the owl blended into the environment. It was hard to see. I knew if I was going to get any images worthy of the Feathered Friends Community I needed to bust out my new Nikon D3500 digital camera so I ran inside to grab it while hoping and mentally begging the owl to stay put.
Thankfully the barred owl was blissfully content where it was when I returned with my camera and telephoto lens.
Imagine my surprise and delight when the owl started preening!
Click!
Click!
Click!
Click!
Note: If I incorrectly identified the species of the owl, I'd appreciate if someone would kindly let me know in the comments.
I present to you my entry to the Show Me A Photo Contest - SMAP Round 49 where the theme this week is "PREENING BIRDS."
Thank you to all the talented aviary photographers and material presented by the contributors in the Feathered Friends Community founded by the wonderful @melinda010100.
@melinda010100.
@nelinoeva by clicking here: @nelinoeva/feathered-friends-show-me-a-d43827f4ac563
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