The temperatures slipped today, and it never made it above freezing. By late afternoon the serious cold was coming back in.
The highlight for today was the appearance of the Barred Owl (Strix varia) that perched on a cedar branch next to our bird feeder a few feet from the house. It was a few minutes past 5:00 PM.
Strix varia (with apple tree in the background), March 1, 2026
I’ve trained myself to glance at the bird feeders any time I’m near a window where I can see them. (Sort of like constantly looking at a cell phone to see if so-and-so wrote you that incredibly important text.) But, in this case, I’m checking to see who’s at the feeder. I keep the feeder full, and I glance many times a day.
The farm is located in an opening in the woods. The birds love it. As mentioned a few days ago, the Pileated Woodpeckers often serenade us as we prune trees or pick apples. While the Pileated doesn’t come to the feeder, a lot of other birds do, including now, the Barred Owl.
Strix varia lives on the periphery. We hear them in the woods often, typically at night. (“Who cooks for you?”) We rarely see them out in the open. When I glanced at the feeder this afternoon, my eyes did a double-take. I stopped what I was doing, tiptoed downstairs, gently pulled up a comfy chair and sat for half an hour. The owl was about ten feet from me. She (or he: it’s not easy to tell them apart) was clearly aware of my presence. She sat on the branch. The wind blew her feathers. She did not move except to swivel her head occasionally one way or the other. There was some serious communication happening between us. It was pretty amazing. Here’s a rough translation of what she had to say:
“Bunk, I don’t need to ask who cooks for you. We all know! But I do have a few things to say. You have created an amazing place here for us owls to live. Thanks for doing this. We love the woods, the stream, the ponds, the clearings, the paths, the gardens and the apple trees. (And the feeder of course though I’m not into sunflower seeds.) We’re doing our part to keep this place vibrant and alive and sorta rodent-free. Please continue to do your part. Keep the farm filled with love. Don’t leave any time soon.”