Great Horned Owl

My first hike home after our trip to Hawaii and I found an owl dead on the frozen creek.

 

It appears that it hit the power lines overhead & fell to the creek below.

Its a great horned owl.

What a beautiful creature.  I love how the patterns of its feathers mimic the tree bark.

And look at those talons.

Due to federal regulations, people cannot possess raptors or any part of them,

so I had to leave him to decompose in the woods.

Halloween, Naturally

Its that time of year again,

when goblins & ghouls appear and dance in the imagination of the kids.

Here at the Blue Rock Ranch, you don't have to conjure up scary stuff.

It can be found right along the trails.

Let's take a look!

Creepy cobweb

Wise old owl

Brown bat

Vulture

Bones

Perhaps even a wispy ghost or two!

Barred Owl

Have you ever heard the call of an owl that sounds like this:

Who cooks for you,

Who cooks for you-all?

That would be the barred owl.

I saw this fellow on my morning walk.