Hoo, Hoo, Hoo's There?

Blackburn Park

My community, like many others, has a Facebook page. It is wonderful for keeping me up to date on who is angry about dogs pooping on their lawn, which kid ran a stop sign, lost dogs, finding out who has a sewer backup, and all kinds of other fascinating information. I don't know how I survived here all those years before Facebook came along! All kidding aside, while the listed items have indeed appeared on the page, it is truly a great resource if you are looking for a handy man or woman of any kind, and for keeping up on neighborhood events. It was on this page that I learned about the baby owls in Blackburn Park.

Several people had been posting photos of the momma Great Horned Owl and her owlets. The pictures were adorable, so of course I had to go see for myself. Last Saturday we took Kirby for a walk at the park, which also contains a wild bird sanctuary with trails so that you can enjoy the area. As it was a pretty if windy day, the park was teeming with activity. I was not surprised to see a half a dozen people stopped on the trail in the bird sanctuary to admire the babies. There are three of them hiding in the hollowed out segment of a tree. One was pretty bashful, so we only got a peek at it, but the other two seemed just as curious about us. They were particularly interested in Kirby. The one made some clicking noises, which I interpreted as his or her call to momma that dinner was within view.

Great Horned Owls

It was nice to see so many people taking an interest in the little family. After I posted my photos on Facebook, several of my friends also put up pictures that they had taken the same day. Word of the owlets has spread throughout the area. It is so refreshing to read about positive news instead of what we are normally subjected to these days. And how wonderful to live in a place where nature is close enough to enjoy on a sunny spring day. Sometimes you just need to take a walk in the park.

spring in bloom