I have recently rediscovered a local park. It had been years since my last visit. Back then it was a very overgrown area with a Civil War cemetery almost buried in it. It still has a National cemetery, but it is much more accessible. It’s just right for a casual morning or evening walk in the woods. On one of these walks I ran across some friends from the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy. They were scouting out wildflowers and had seen an owl nearby. Since it was still a few hours to dusk, I headed over to the general location. After listening to the owl hoot a few times I was able to locate him. He sat around while I set up the tripod and 600 mm lens. After a few minutes, I discovered his mate sitting in the opening of a large hole in an old tree. She watched me for a few minutes and then hopped into the hole in the tree. What a great discovery only a few minutes from home.

Barred Owl Balls Bluff