Steve`s Country
For a smile as wide as a country sunrise
Solitude For Saturday. #9
Good morning everyone and Happy Saturday to all of you as well! It is much milder this morning with a temperature of 21F (-6C). It is not going to warm up to melting temps however, even though we are close. It is cloudy today as well, if the sun was shining it might actually do some melting. But instead we are going to receive a bit more snow. We did not get any last night like we were told we would, it kind of slowed down I guess, so we will get it later today instead. It will not add up to much however, which is fine with me.
Ice is starting to really show up too, especially on streets. Bald eagles are starting to return now. They are always the first of our summer birds to return. We do have some bald eagles that stay here year round however, though it seemed like there was only a couple of them this winter. Last winter there were a lot of them. The two I saw yesterday were young eagles, so I knew they were migrants coming back. Only the adults will stay the winter. It is so nice to think of warmer days coming.
One time at my cabin in the woods, it was a beautiful evening but a bit cool, so I got a little bonfire going and sat there watching the fire as the day slowly began to change to dusk and then slowly the darkness of night began to descend. But the light of the bonfire lit up the area in front of my cabin, and I heard an owl calling in the distance. I used to imitate their calls to get them to come closer. I got very good at it. So I tried imitating his calls.
It was a “Barred owl”, one of our 4 large owls. It did not take long and it came to sit on a branch of a jack pine, about 8 feet off the ground. I watched him as he also watched me. The light of the fire made him quite easy to see. Then as I was watching a second one showed up and sat on the branch beside him. That was likely the female, the male is usually the first to check on intruders. No, I did not try any more calls when they were so close. Those large talons of theirs can do a lot of damage.
And yes, they will sometimes attack people if they are provoked. They were obviously nesting in the area, which was nice to know. They watched for a while then flew off into the darkness. I especially watched the direction of the second owl as she flew off and tried the next day to see if I could find a nest, but found nothing. But they do have large territories. But it was a nice evening with my owl friends. That is solitude. Beautiful solitude. Have a most wonderful Saturday everyone and God bless!
Steve and Muffin. (Praying for the people of Ukraine)
©2022 Steve McLeod.
Steve`s Country 
Wonderful 🌞🌞
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Thank you so much Jim!
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😊
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how cool that you could get an owl to answer your call, and to then have two of them so close to you. I’m not sure why, but I find owls kind of creepy…
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Owls are a different kind of bird for sure, but they are so beautiful and amazing! I have held our smallest owl, the saw-whet owl and the largest owl, the great gray owl, on my arm, at different times of course. Their feathers are amazingly soft. I needed a heavy leather holder on my arm to hold the great gray due to their large and strong talons. Both were injured owls that had been rescued.
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I guess once you know more about them, you can appreciate them more. How nice of you to help in their rescue…
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Yes, getting up close and personal with them really helps. I always enjoyed calling owls and getting them to come in close, amazing how often that happened.
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a unique skill!
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Thank you! And it is a lot of fun.
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Fab photos
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Thanks so much Sheree!
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Lovely argument captured on this beautiful mrng, hope the Saturday isn’t boring for you, my Saturday is getting better now, at the end 😁 finally at the bed. ☺️
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I have read that in the early spring , the land , air and atmosphere take time to warm up and in early autumn , it takes time to cool down as all change is gradual …
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Yes, that is very true.
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I am never bored, there is always something to do! Enjoy a good night’s sleep Simon!😊🌙😻
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Very Good Mrng Uncle Steve 🤗
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Good morning Simon!😁🌞
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You are so blessed to have different owls sit on your arm/hand ! 🦉🦉 have a good rest ! 🙂😻😴
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It was a lot of fun, both were on my arm, though not at the same time. Have a good night!😁🌙😻😴😴❄️❄️
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