Tom: You all know about the red squirrel family that hangs out on the ledge in #1's study, sometimes as many as three at a time, eating at our generous buffet of walnuts, hazelnuts and sunflower seeds:
But we also have another kind of wildlife friend, and these are actually our lodgers as they have been living in our attic for a while now. We hear them a lot and they can be very noisy, especially the kids, but it is very rare for us to actually see them. So, it was a real treat a couple of nights ago when #1 and I not only saw them on our last walk before bed, but were actually able to take a photo of one of them:
Yes! That is a barn owl whose nickname in France is "White Lady." They have a heart-shaped face and are fierce hunters. The other interesting thing about them is that they are totally silent when they fly. You don't hear the wings at all. According to Wikipedia: "tiny serrations on the leading edges of its flight feathers help to break up the flow of air over its wings, thereby reducing turbulence and the noise that accompanies it." Anyway, they are super cool and we are very honoured to have them in our house!
In closing, I thought you might like a photo of me enjoying the great outdoors!
Our squirrels do not come up to the house as we have no outside window ledges They eat the seeds nearby though.
ReplyDeleteHow fascinating to have a barn owl!
Purrs Georgia and Julie,
Treasure and JJ
How lucky you are to have barn owls living at your house! They do a great job of cleaning up the vermin around the place, kind of like birdie police!
ReplyDeleteGreat photo of the owl - well done, Tommy!
ReplyDeleteSquirrels are lucky to live daily with that wonderful owl in the neighborhood ! Purrs
ReplyDeleteSquirrels are lucky to live daily with that wonderful owl in the neighborhood ! Purrs
ReplyDeleteThose little tree rats are nothing but teasers! And barn owls! How cool
ReplyDeleteLily & Edward
Owls! We have owls around our house and we LOVE hearing them! They showed us our babies last year too. It was so awesome!
ReplyDeletePurrz!
Selina
How exciting that you got to see and photograph your owl. We hear some at night around here but rarely see them.
ReplyDeleteBTW your blog took a very long time to load. The message at the bottom while it was trying to load was "waiting for badge.caster.com" Maybe that will help you figure out what is going on.
Wow you have owls living in your attic. That is so cool! I've never seen any owl in person but they are very cute :-)
ReplyDeleteYou have the best attic in the world! And Tommy...you are magnificent as always!
ReplyDeleteHello Tommy! Finally Nylablue & I have gotten here to vist! Your little squirrel is so adorable; we only have black ones here & they are no as cute. That owl is gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteYou & your #1 & family are simply the best to take care of each other & even the wild creatures...
You look so happy out in the field too.
Love Sherri-ellen & Nylablue xx
C'est chouette ça ....
ReplyDeleteC'est assez incroyable d'avoir réussi à en photographier une.
Je n'en ai jamais vu dans la nature. Ici, il y a quelques années, il y avait des hiboux. J'adorais les écouter la nuit.
Je ne sais pas ce qu'ils sont devenus.
Certains été il y a des chat-huant, donc des chouettes. Je les entends sans les voir..
Au sujet du navigateur que j'utilise, c'est Chrome.
Pour que le blog s'ouvre normalement il faut presque une minute. Et parfois ça n'ouvre pas. Ca n'affiche que la bannière et la colonne de gauche.
Bonne soirée
Nat à Chat
Love owls!!!! So stately and elegant.
ReplyDeleteThe baby squirrels won't be in danger , will they?
Wow, what a beautiful lady owl. You're so lucky...imagine she keeps your surrounding free of voles, etc, though perhaps you'd like a few for entertainment? She and the squirrels and other daytime visitors seem to co-exist. Balance!
ReplyDeleteLizzie, Max & Tuck
Very cool on seeing the owl. We hear them, we don't seem them.
ReplyDeleteHi Tom! Hope you enjoyed your romp! Gram and Gramps have a barn owl, they are so neat Mom says!
ReplyDelete