Male and female Barred Owls, 6:45 AM, October 28, 2021. Wildewood Springs. Photo: iPhone.
I heard two Barred Owls caterwauling around 4:30 AM. It sounded like THIS (a short video).
I headed out to find them. I rounded the bend of Pineneedle and one swooped over me and flew to the Slash Pine tree adjacent to Wild Palm, the Pineneedle section.
They looked like this (screen-grab from the video, not my photo).
They seemed to nod to each other, bowing, and sometimes half spreading their wings. Then one flew off and landed in a nearby Canary Palm and shimmied down the truck looking for what I imagined to be a lizard or vermin treat. Thunder rumbled in the background - a cold front approaching. It flew to its partner and gave it whatever it found. It was too dark to confirm the food.
Love is in the air? I noticed these two frogs as I hurried inside before the rain.
NOTES
From Birds of the World:
"...the Barred Owl is territorial throughout the year and monogamous, raising 1 brood a year. It is a true generalist predator, much like the Spotted and Great Horned owls, consuming a variety of birds up to the size of grouse; small mammals up to the size of rabbits; and amphibians, reptiles, and invertebrates."
