Lucky Bird Day

Today was a lucky bird kind of day. And I didn’t even step outside. Mid-day I spotted a Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) in one of the huge oak trees in front of my cabin. Not at all unusual here, but to see one, a HUGE and BEAUTIFUL bird, is to stop everything to admire the moment. As you can see, I did manage to get a photo. Glad I could at least record the moment.

Then in the middle of the afternoon I went upstairs to my bedroom and found, looking in through the window at me, a charming Barred Owl (Strix varia), sitting in a Tulip Poplar Tree. A tree that had been destined to be cut down for the sake of ultimate fire safety. Now, that tree will be saved. My owls must have a perch.

The owl was generous with its time, turning its head as if doing yoga. Making me wish I could do the same. Then it was off, to find another perch, perhaps where there was not a camera trained in on its every move.

But outside is where I should have been. Hiking up the mountain. Putting in more miles. Taking in more of Mother Nature’s world. Another day, another year, I was doing just that, and stumbled upon this. Another Barred Owl. A mom or dad, watching over the little one.

The little one, looking so sweet. Oh, I certainly could feel those EYES of mom or dad, perhaps thirty feet away. Staring DOWN at me. For sure another lucky bird day.

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Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.

2 thoughts on “Lucky Bird Day”

  1. Great picture!
    I sometimes catch a glimpse of a pileated woodpecker in the woods of Old Trail golf course, but more often I just hear their distinctive sound and can’t spot them visually.

    1. Hi Michael,

      Thanks for your encouragement on the photo. I feel good about it, because as I said, I captured the moment. There are times when that capture can be very important. Often my images are an entry into my daily diary. Though I technically don’t keep a diary.

      Aren’t we fortunate to have these marvelous birds in our midst. Company for you on the golf course, and for me as I hike the trails. Wonderful how distinctive their call is. There are a very few bird calls that manage to stick in my catalog of too many things in my brain. And the call of the Pileated Woodpecker is not even one that I have TRIED to remember. These birds have just let it be known, they are important.

      Thanks bunches for coming along with me on my journeys.
      Bren

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