Our Barred Owl Revisited

Shortly after sunset on a calm evening in March, the distinctive calls of a Barred Owl carry across a forested hillside in north eastern Ohio. Its mate responds, initiating an eerie duet composed of traditional calls (8 notes) and various deep-throaty notes. These Barred Owls are courting and will shortly start the process of raising their young. Their nest site has already been selected, most likely a cavity within a hollow tree. Most clutches are raised in March and hatch by mid-April. We have been hearing these mating calls most every day, but finding the owls is another matter due to the thick growth of trees near our house and the owl's coloring blends in with the bark and limbs of the trees. To spot one is a rare treat, but to see the pair might be considered a miracle.

Song of Solomon 2:16 My beloved is mine, and I am his; he feeds me among the lilies.