BARRED OWL THROUGH THE MAPLE STAND
This page belongs to the COLUMN record because the observation is carried by flight, alarm calls, night sound, and the difficulty of hearing a low owl call.
Chris and I had just returned from a paddle down to the floating bog mat.
Coming back toward the barn, we saw the owl move through the maple stand.
The sighting was brief, but the form held: blunt-faced, hollow-fronted, owl-shaped against the timber. Blackbirds sounded alarm nearby, giving the passage away before the bird moved again.
It landed near the owl house.
That box carries an older record. About two years ago, before it was moved to its current location, the owl house showed confirmed nesting use when eggshells were found at the base of the tree in spring. Since the move, current use has not been confirmed.
Barred Owls are routinely heard at night at The Place. Others hear them more easily than I do; the low tone is difficult for my hearing aids to carry. But one night, walking a little way up the road, I heard the call myself.
This record is not a photograph. It is a return from the bog, a crossing through maple, an alarm raised by blackbirds, an old nest-box trace, and a low night call finally heard.
Field Record: Barred Owl probable.
Evidence: Visual glimpse after returning from floating bog mat; blunt owl face; blackbird alarm; repeated night calls in area; prior nest-box use confirmed by eggshells before relocation.
Certainty: Probable current presence; prior box use confirmed; current box use unconfirmed.
Note: Separate past nest-box evidence from current box use.
