Who Visited My Pine Tree?

My husband dropped me off at the house after a Sunday morning outing. I had the afternoon to myself. I planned to work on a novel-in-progress.

When I entered the house, I could hear birds. Not indoors, thank goodness, although they were so loud, for a moment I thought they might have broken in. I went upstairs and peeked out a window. My backyard looked like a scene from Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. Black birds perched on tree branches, the deck railings, the fence.

Against my sense of self-preservation, I stepped out onto the deck. Fortunately, most of the black birds flew away. The remaining birds were focused on one of three huge pine trees. When they realized I wasn't leaving, the rest of the birds vacated my yard.

I glimpsed something in the tree. Tufted ears and a round face. I could not figure out what creature was hiding in the pine tree. After the Dragon on the Deck and the Killer Baby Robin incidents, I knew I needed photographic evidence. I hoped my camera phone images would be more convincing than those of Sasquatch hunters.

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Finally, it dawned on me. The creature was an owl. I am not a birder. We have friends who keep a Life List, and have published photos of their finds. I am lucky if I can discern a song bird from a predator bird.

I watched as long as I could, but a gusty snowstorm began to blow in. I went inside to warm up. When I returned, the owl was gone.

I realized my interest in the bird in my tree illustrates the research steps I often use in my writing. Gather evidence: in this case photos. Go to the internet: bird watching sites. Consult experts: our birding friends.

Armed with my photos and a video, I went to the All About Birds and the Bird Watchers Digest websites. I still couldn't tell whether it was a screech owl or Great Horned Owl, although I was leaning toward the Great Horned. I sent a photo to my birding friends. Their verdict? Great Horned Owl. Definitely.

Here are links to bird websites I use when trying to identify a bird.
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Horned_Owl/id
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Western_Screech-Owl/id
http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/bwdsite/learn/identification/owls/great-horned-owl.php

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