Big, Honking Forest Birds
This morning I had two wonderful surprises from our feathered friends!
When I stepped out to greet the sunrise and take the dogs for their morning business, the first thing the puppies and I found was a long, beautiful, gold-and-black striped owl feather!
Owls are important forest creatures, and there is not a doubt in my mind that the ones living around here are growing healthy and plump on the bunnies! Based on other images I've found online, I believe that this feather belongs to the Great Horned Owl, but I cannot be certain.
While I was smiling like an idiot at what a wonderful gift I’d been given, I heard the loud honking of Canadian geese. Naturally I looked up to watch them fly over, only to see that the sky was empty.
The sound was incredibly loud, so I gazed around until my eyes landed on the source: two big, fat, honking (no pun intended) Canadian geese sitting at the apex of the roof on one of the old barns!
They were calling up the sun in a most goosely fashion, and I ran inside to grab my camera. Imagine my pleasure to find them still happily honking away when I returned, and slowly approached them snapping images all the way. When I (and my disobedient dog) got too close, the geese flew off to the trees.
Remember to scroll down and take a look at the gorgeous sycamore tree I posted for you this morning, and have a lovely day!
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wow, that feather looks so ideal. like those quill pens they use in the movies.
ReplyDeleteHi April! Thanks for stopping by. I agree - this feather is just gorgeous. It was a little eerie to find it so perfectly placed right outside my door on the lawn.
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous day it is there!
ReplyDeleteWhen I worked at the wildlife center we got lots of owls for rehabilitation and Great Horned Owls were the easiest to handle; very mellow and calm. That's a beautiful feather you found.
How funny to see Canadian Geese perching on a roof! They've got a very distinctive (and loud) honk, don't they?
I've always thought it would be fun to work with wildlife in rehabilitation centers, or even zoos. I would LOVE the chance to work with elephants!
ReplyDeleteThose geese DO have a crazy honk! I usually call them honkers, mostly because it fits and it sounds funny, but according to the article I linked to in this post, many other folks call them honkers as well! I guess these creatures come by it honestly. :)
FrankenGirl - oh yes really! It's hard to pick a favorite animal, but I'd have to say that elephants and octopi are in the top three.
ReplyDeleteYou're right about the geese! These two were a happy, honking pair!
And you've got a point there about the dogs... mine fulfill their duty every day without fail... above and beyond!
There were canadian geese in our chimney...As for the owl It is beautiful. We have owls in our area with owlets near branching stage.
ReplyDeleteI love love love the one with the geese on the barn!
ReplyDeleteI volunteered at the Oregon Zoo in high school and at a wildlife rehab center in college and they were both amazing experiences. If you're interested, you should look for a rehab place near you. They're always looking for volunteers.
ReplyDeleteI love elephants; we got to play with a baby elephant in India and he was so cute!
And if dogs have a duty to misbehave, my dog Jake should be awarded the Medal of Honor!
Ducklover, so I've heard! Sounds like you have a real owl-extravaganza going on there!
ReplyDeleteJB, it's a pleasure to hear from you. Please do stay in touch if the spirit moves you. You are always welcome at Arboreality of course, and I'll be at your disposal by email as well. I'm glad that my thoughts were helpful to you earlier. Like you, I love the opportunity to dive into a whole new world of study!
Trailhead, I was just tickled pink over the geese on the roof! Between that and the owl feather, I had a wonderful morning.
LilyB, thanks for the info! I am so incredibly jealous of you playing with a baby elephant.
Do you think that they issue Nobel Peace Prizes for Willful Disobedience?
They are cool, but the female isn't so..loving
ReplyDeleteDucklover, so I hear. Geese can be pretty pushy too if they want to be. :) You know what I saw a few days ago? A whole bunch of baby geese running around with their parents! It was awesome!!!
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