A little to show – not much to say

7 February, 2021 A little to show – not much to say

That’s my theme this week. I went down Monday just to see if there’d be a Barred owl in February, and there was. But yesterday I went to the river (to beat the snow) and there were two Barred owls!:

**Always gratified to see 2 at once. Yesterday morning:**

I had Mackey and Turner and Yuki with me. Mackey is getting pretty old and tired but seems to have gained enthusiasm for trips to the river. So I made a loop called the “Mackey Minimum” and it passes the owl branch and the deer’s favorite spot without a lot of walking. It was only a few minutes walk after we saw the owls that we came to a large herd of deer. I’d hoped to get some good pictures but the deer actually crossed the trail in front of us. You should try taking a picture and holding three dog leashes when that happens. This was a couple minutes before they crossed the trail:

**All light is flattering to deer – they’re just so elegant**

Some nice birds landed on my feeder Tuesday. First a Catbird:

Then a Pine Warbler:

A red-bellied woodpecker

**Maybe not woodpeckers. I’ll have to watch.**

And of course a bluebird!:

**They always remind me of my dad, in the best possible way**

I also so a Hooded merganser at Echo Lake in western Henrico:

I saw a Great Blue Heron at Pony Pasture Monday when I saw my “first February owl”:

**This Great Blue Heron is paying close attention to something:**

When we were photographing the pair of owls yesterday, another owl lover came to watch them. I asked her to take our picture – thank you Laura! This was less than a leash-length from the tree where the owls were sitting:

See! Not much to say! Have a great week, all best,

Jay

About Jay McLaughlin

I am a rehabilitation counselor. I have many friends with autism and traumatic brain injuries. They help me learn new things constantly. I hike with dogs at the James River in Richmond - a lot. I've completed an Iron distance triathlon a year for 11 years. My most recent was in Wilmington, NC in November, 2013. I currently compete in mid-distance triathlons. And work and hike and take pictures and write and eat.

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2 Responses to A little to show – not much to say

Bob Parker says:

February 8, 2021 at 20:30

Hi Jay,
I was really interested to see your picture of the catbird this week. I had assumed that they were long gone by now, since I only see them over here in Midlothian in the summer. Consulting my bird books, I see that they may still be around. What a pleasant discovery on my part. Thanks for your help on this.
Bob

- Jay McLaughlin says:
  
  February 10, 2021 at 16:32
  
  Hi Bob! Great to hear from you! I’m glad you enjoyed the catbird picture. I’m not sure what their migration schedule is. I wonder if they could be among the early arrivals. I haven’t seen any ospreys near Stony Point, they’re usually “marker” birds to kickoff Spring migration. I have a REALLY wide variety of birds at my feeders, but it will get a lot wider as Spring rolls forward. Thanks again for the comment and have a great day,
  
  Jay