This winter, a barred owl has been loitering around my house. My husband arbitrarily declared it a male (there’s no easy way to sex an owl) and we dubbed him Squinty McBold. “Bold” because he seems indifferent to our comings and goings across the lawn, “Squinty” because of his appearance in the early a.m., when we pass under his favorite sugar maple perch. As we walk by, carrying kids and bags to the car, his head swivels and his lower eyelids open, but not all the way. He closes them again and settles back into his nap.
I’m including a photo of Squinty in his morning pose. There are also action shots of him wide awake and swooping down on prey. To view those, check out Northern Woodlands’ seasonal photo gallery. This is a new web series, launched today, that showcases readers’ images. Each month, we’ll select a new batch to share on the website.
The next gallery will be published in early March, and we encourage you to submit your February 2015 photos. Share your pics of prized oak veneer stands, or red pine gone wrong. Send us images, with captions, that document your group’s recent outings, your family sugaring operation, or your class’s trip to the beaver pond. Show us your favorite chainsaw, or your Lorax tattoo; as long as there’s a straight-faced argument that the image relates to the northern forest, it qualifies. You can submit photos directly through the gallery page. Hit the link below for details.
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