A little short story of newfound friendships, helping a neighbor, and a love for nature.
Last winter I was at the end of a point on the Magothy River looking at tundra swans in hopes of locating a rare Trumpeter swan claimed to be in the flock. One of the neighbors saw me with my camera and kindly invited me over to where the swans were floating in front of his home.
One thing led to another and we quickly became friends. Bags of corn quickly found their way there to help feed the swans and a conversation began about an owl box. Seems they had an owl that had lived in a box installed high on one of their trees, but after a number of years she finally died and the box fell. Wanting to reinstall the box, a friend of mine and I helped set it up high in the tree.
And then the waiting and hoping began. Spring came with its blossoms, followed by the early summer rains. And then autumn came and the box remained empty. But then about two weeks ago, Gerta moved in. A beautiful red morph Screech owl, she spends most of the day buried deep in her box, only briefly showing up to warm up in the mid-afternoon sun.
It was my lucky day yesterday as one never knows if Gerta will appear or not. Visiting with my friends and the afternoon getting long, I was just about to leave and Gerta slipped her head out for a brief sun respite. Sleepily setting in her box, Gerta luxuriated.
Hello Gerta ! Welcome to the neighborhood and hope you stay for a long time.
Emily Carter ~ Nature as Art 
Please to meet you, Gerta. You are in good hands with Bella and her friends. How about having some babies. K?
That’s what I’m thinking !! Go get a boyfriend will ya?
How about a blind date 😆
Now that wouldn’t be too hard to do as they can’t see all that well in the daytime.
You are hilarious. Laughing hard.
Reblogged this on MASI LATENRATU and commented:
Sketsa & Replika _
What a wonderful image and story!
Thank you Cynthia! We’re hoping she’ll stay the winter.
Aww that is so cute! Love this story!
Thanks Judy, she really is adorable isn’t she?
So sweet, lucky you!
Truly my friends are the lucky ones. This is the first one I’ve ever seen in the wild. I’ve heard them, and seen captive/rescue ones. Pretty awesome I think.
She is so cool! Glad you were able to get a new owl house on the market and have a new, great neighbor move in! You should have set it up with a remote camera! Next time maybe?
That’s a great idea ! Why don’t I ever think of that. BTW, saw one of your comments in my spam basket as I was deleting, so please don’t think I’m ignoring you. Are you enjoying the season slowdown?
Yes, we’ve finally dumped our maintenance crews and have put the plows on the trucks. This is music to my ears. =-)
I seem to be in many folks spam folders lately. I think it may be the funny icons I like to add to the comment. I’m going to bug WP soon, as I truly only know when someone I follow (have been following awhile) notices I’ve ‘stopped’ commenting.
I love watching ‘bird cams’. It’s like a reality show w/o all the drama!!
❤ Gerta!
Me too!
Hello Gerta! What a wonderful image!
Thank you so much Fatima ! I hope I get to see her again. Hope all is well with you.
Oh my gosh, she’s soooo cute!
Isn’t she though? I just want to hug and squeeze her. Thanks Sarah.
I knew one a bit like her, adorable little stallion with a penchant for nipping fingers 😉
Reblogged this on open your mind.
Thank you for sharing this with your readers Kamil.
Great Capture and Story 🙂 BroCraves was in the Boy Scouts and they were always looking for projects. He built many a bird, owl, bat box during his High School years. Maybe this might be something to share with the local Boy Scouts troop to see if there might be a need for another owl box or two or maybe some bat boxes. I know a few Boy Scouts who have built benches and picnic tables too. Happy Week!
Oh this would be a great project for the boy scouts. Far more interesting than a silly bench. Have a fantastic Thanksgiving Renee!
Cool shot!
Thanks Mary ! Happy Thanksgiving my dear and hope you have a lovely day.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Emily!!
great photo, and a good story to go along with it. hopefully it will be a suitable nest cavity as well
I haven’t checked this week, but I believe she has pretty much moved in. I hope to give updates on her in the future.