Spot an owl!

I'll be talking a lot about my hiking. Thanks to Girl Gone Good, I discovered a whole lot of trails all around my area, most of which are easy and very accessible. It's made me appreciate the beautiful region in which I live and be curious about the nature that surrounds me.

It was through a friend, however, that I discovered Mud Lake. Despite its name, it is a charming conservation area in the heart of the city, well-known for its bird population: geese, ducks, blue jays, cardinals, chickadees, woodpeckers and even owls and Gertrude, the wild turkey. Bird lovers and watchers from all over town come there for a stroll or some serious photography.

In early February, my daughter and I went for a walk and had the great fortune of bumping into a bird photographer who stopped us and pointed us to a Barred Owl (there was some confusion as to whether it was Bard, Bared or Barred; it gets its name from the stripes across its wings). Clearly, I don't have the camera needed to capture the beauty and presence of the owl that we saw resting in the trees, but the experience was delightful and made us feel like seasoned hikers. But the best part was the sense of community that emerged around this owl: the bird watcher was pleased to share his discovery, two friends who were hiking behind us joined in full of curiosity, and my daughter and I gathered around this wonderful discovery, asking questions, chatting about our observations, and sharing in our happiness and gratitude.

PS: We were respectful of protocols: we whispered and didn't linger so as not to bother the owl for too long. Owls, like other animals, will leave if bothered too much and the last we want to do is drive them out of their homes.