Barry the Barred Owl & Snowshoe Hares

Barry the Barred Owl looking for a morning snack.

Winter coat of the snowshoe hare.

Our barred owl showed up this morning at around 8 o'clock for a surprise visit. He apparently likes the birch tree just off the deck for some reason. I'm not sure whether he is hoping to snag a red squirrel before going to bed for the day or whether he is interested in mice that feed on the bird seed litter down in the yard. Whatever the attraction of the birch tree, he doesn't seem to be a particularly shy or skittish bird. He hung around even after I let the dogs out on the deck before flying away in a leisurely manner. In other news, I definitely identified the tracks of a snowshoe hare during my morning walk. Snowshoe hares are the only rabbits in this area, and you don't see them very often. This was the first time I'd seen any sign of one. It's a rough life up here for rabbits what with the long winters and the many predators. The predators are why the snowshoe hare's fur changes from brown to white in the Winter and then back to brown in the Spring. Makes it hard for the owls and foxes to see them.