Variety

From the trail camera there are:  whitetail deer, screech owl, fox squirrel, a timber doodle, raccoon and a long beard gobbler.

Nice variety....... 

 

New Winged Predator

It is not uncommon or unusual to capture an image of an owl on a trail camera here.  You can do a search under Owl Biology using the labels feature in the left margin of the blog and you'll find older posts featuring Northern Saw-Whet owls, Great Horned owls, rare Snowy Owls or Eastern Screech owls like this one from last week.

Last month delivered a first - at least photographic evidence anyway with this:

A Barred owl.  

Common throughout the state of Wisconsin this is the first documented appearance here of Strix varia.   A chunky brown and gray bird of prey it sports a large head, disc-like face, barring on the chest and no "ear-tufts".  This bird dines on mice, rabbits, small birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish.  Yes, fish. 

One new owl species added to the life list.

Trail Camera Collage

Some recent images from the trail camera trap line include:

A curious doe

A screech owl

A timber doodle (North American Woodcock)

A couple of gobblers 

And Wiley Coyote 

Silent Hunter

Meet Megascops asio - the Eastern Screech-Owl.  

A non-migrator this is a small owl with feather tufts that resemble ears.  With all of the dead and dying ash on the landscape, woodlots around here have no shortage of trees with cavities for nesting and roosting.

This owl is active from sunset to sunrise and during the winter months will dine on small mammals.  This bird flaps and flies silently and has both excellent hearing and eyesight. This owl only rarely calls with a screech - more frequently communicating with a tremulous, descending trill like the sound effects in a horror film.  

This bird - or others - that look just like it have been showing on the trail cameras in the general location more frequently than usual.  Which makes sense as it has both a winter and summer territory.

They form long term pair-bonds with mates and may roost together.  Breeding season is from later February  into the month of March.  Breeding pairs begin looking for a nest site after next month. 

Nocturnal Visitor

Same camera, same location as the foxy redhead post from this morning.

Two days later another handful of money shots.

A bird comes in for a touch and go landing and is gone in a minute.

Based-upon the smaller size and barely visible "ear tufts" my guess is that it is a screech-owl.

No sign of prey - that I can see anyway.

Owl photos have been on the uptick the last few years.

If you go to LABELS in the left margin and click on anything with Owl in it you'll be redirected to additional posts.

Cold Winter Night

Cold today and colder tonight - with a fire in the wood burner continuously today.  As I tap-out this post it is presently 69 degrees indoors and 6 degrees outdoors. Among other things I did some terrific cooking this afternoon.  
 

 

Seán's Bar is a pub adjacent to the Shannon River on the County Roscommon side of the town of Athlone, Ireland (between Dublin and Galway).      

 

Continuously-operated since AD 900 It is the oldest watering hole in the world.         

 

Anyway, the best meal Jill had on our visit a couple of months ago was Fish Pie at Seán's.       

 

The name is uninspired - but this resulting baked deliciousness of salmon, scallops, whitefish, shrimp and sauce topped with a buttery mash was outstanding.

 

Behold the fish pie...      

 

 

First time I’ve made it.

 

Won’t be the last.         

 
Pretty good chow on a brisk winter evening.

Just brought the girls in from a potty break.  The constellation Orion is prominent in the southern sky with Sirius the brightest of stars in the south-southeast. 

There is an Eastern screech owl calling to the west. 

Nice finish to the day. 

Slàinte!