This post came up as a memory yesterday and I’ve been knocking my head against a wall trying to figure out how to republish a post. I went back again but wasn’t able to get as nice photos as I did this first time. And now the owls of Philippe Park are feeding babies again, but I’m missing it this time around. Next time for sure.
Photographers are a friendly bunch. They freely share information on where to go to see whatever birds you may wish to see. Upon losing the eaglets my attention turned to the Great Horned Owl nest I’ve been hearing about. One of my new acquaintances posts info on the current conditions in the various parks around, so I was well aware that Phillipe Park was the place to go to find an owl-ette (?). I had never been there before, but I was hopeful that I would find the nest. I asked directions once I was there and was told to go through the 4-way stop and look for the paparazzi, LOL, and it worked. Well, it got me to the area, but the other photographers had to point out the nest. One even moved over to give me a better view, and finally I spotted the Mom up above the nest in a tree. Some of them had been there for three hours when I got there, but I was just in time, they said, because they expected her to move to the nest any minute. Then it would be feeding time.
The Spanish moss that you see was a challenge to shoot through. It was hanging from limbs between the owls and where we were standing, and it was blowing back and forth. I had to switch to manual focus because auto focus kept refocusing as the moss came into the viewer. Then someone yelled that she was in flight…
Once she landed all you could see was the baby, sort of…
And we all scrambled across the way, hoping for a better angle.
And oh by the way, I wasn’t far off with my made up owl-ette. Siri says it’s actually owlet. Such a cute face, and quite the wing spread from the glimpse I got of that. I have no idea what I used to think about before I became a bird-brain…
A Snowbird's Life Through the Lens 
Fantastic blog from my favorite Bird Brain!
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Takes one to love one, or something like that…
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Love your posts! Such a good picture of Mom and baby owls!
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Thanks Rita. I drove down not knowing if I’d really find the nest, I certainly didn’t expect them to pose for me/us. It was fun.
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Spectacular, Sue!!!
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Thanks Ellen, nice of them to pose. I missed seeing her with a rat in her mouth though…
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Wish you would encounter the elusive Snow Owl! Just as good the second time around!
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I should ask on the Sandwich News site. I haven’t seen any Snowy Owl pictures. Warne said that he and his father used to see them at Dennisport Beach. Yes, it would be nice to see them. I wonder if they have been there when I’ve been there but I never saw them. I confess that I haven’t ever thought to look.
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They are on Duxbury Beach. Lots of pictures of them posted out beyond the bridge toward Gurnet light.
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That’s where I saw signs about approaching them, but didn’t see them. Darn it!
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Are there pictures from this year?
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Wow – what beauty! We had one land in a tree above our house the other day, but just as soon as we saw it, it was off again. So glad you had the opportunity!
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It really was fun to see them. Now if I could manage to see the Snowy Owls while I’m visiting up north.
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Beautiful photography! I love the alert, bright eyes of mother owl.
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Thank you, it was an example of right time, right place. I couldn’t duplicate those pictures when I returned several weeks later.
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