Just in Time for Valentine's Day

I went birding at Schramm Woods this afternoon. It was a beautiful afternoon to be outside. I went to check on the resident Barred Owl, who is always sitting in the same hollow Beech tree, as she was today. This afternoon, for the first time, I noticed its mate sitting in the nearby massive Sycamore tree. I sat down to watch both of them for a while.





I do not know for sure which one is the male and which one is the female, but males are smaller than females, so I think the owl in the Sycamore is the male. I'll have to see whether the Sycamore roost is reused as faithfully as the Beech roost. It is a great spot to roost, and can only be viewed from a small area. I am excited to see if they mate and nest in the woods.


Bird list for the two hours I was there:
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Barred Owl
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
American Crow
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
American Goldfinch