Drinking Barred Owl

Several days ago at Pheasant Branch Conservancy, Dottie Johnson and I were watching an agitated Ovenbird scolding something we weren't able to see in the dense canopy. But then suddenly a young Barred Owl flew into plain view from a concealed perch. Obviously the source of its ire, the Ovenbird remained dissatisfied even with the owl's new locale. The warbler followed the ambivalent owl and continued harassing it with berating calls. A few moments later, the Barred Owl leapt up (above video), swooped down, flying directly over our heads, and landing on the creek shoreline just behind us. It casually walked into the water and began drinking! How cool is that? Having no other way to record this unusual observation, these video clips were taken via my Nikon Coolpix 8400 hand-held to my Swarovski 8x32 binocular. I didn't have my spotting scope or tripod with me, so they're a tad shaky.



© 2009 Mike McDowell