Barred Owl and Bald Eagle

Last year I blogged about Barred Owls. On Tuesday Erika and I spotted another as we canoed down the Cannon River from Faribault to the Rice County Wilderness Park. With the weather warm and the wind to our backs, we enjoyed a delightful afternoon. We often hear and occasionally see Barred Owls along the river. This individual looks like a young bird, judging by the fluffy neck feathers and relatively ill-defined facial disk. Another clue is that the owl never left its perch as we canoed under it, despite an attack mounted by two angry male Rose-breasted Grosbeaks.

We also passed a Bald Eagle--a subadult, judging by the dusky color on the white tail. This bird also stayed on its perch as we floated underneath.  I seldom take my binoculars while canoeing. The Cannon River is a delightful canoeing River, with nary a class 1 riffle all the way from Faribault to the Mississippi. Nevertheless, I'd hate to watch my binoculars disappear into the depths. Tuesday was the first time I've brought a camera along--double-bagged in water-proof canoeing sacks. Patient were the birds that stood still long enough for me to unwrap the camera. (The dragonflies did not wait around to have their pictures taken.)