Friday, December 19, 2008

Some Christmas Chuckles and an Owl

I'll start with the owl - but don't worry the chuckles are coming...

This beautiful Barred Owl was sitting outside my studio this morning. Once I noticed him, I ran for the binoculars while my husband dashed for the camera. The cedar trees outside my studio windows were getting in the way so we went outside to have a look. Here are a couple of the photos.

The owl finally got tired of us staring at him and he flew to a tree in our backyard. Most of our birdfeeders are in the backyard and seeing as these owls eat birds and rodents I am sure it was looking for a meal. We have lots of red and black squirrels and of course there are small birds too. We dashed back up to the studio as now we could see him better from there. The next photo was taken from a studio window. It is a nice shot of his back view, showing his beautiful feather pattern. I have been fortunate to see many owls but I don't usually have a camera handy. It wasn't long before several blue jays swarmed him. He finally flew off, probably to get some peace and quiet.

Okay, now for your Christmas chuckles...Are you feeling a tad stressed out and overwhelmed these days? If so, head on over to You Tube and listen to Frank Kelly's 'Christmas Countdown'. It only takes five minutes and it will be worth it. Frank tells the story of the experiences of a fellow who receives gifts during the twelve days of Christmas. Here is the link. Enjoy!


8 comments:

Jan said...

Isn't it just grand when everything works out so you can photograph that elusive wildlife?

Congratulations on the photos and I hope we get to see some owl paintings soon!

The You Tube link was hilarious! Thanks for starting off my day with a laugh.

Jeanette Jobson said...

Oh Teresa, he's gorgeous. I just love owls, but haven't seen many of them here, even living in the woods.

Thanks for the wonderful link. Laughter makes the world go round. :)

Teresa Mallen said...

Jan, yes it is definitely grand when a photo happens. I kept expecting him to fly off.

I am so glad that you liked the link. I still chuckle and I have heard it many times.

Jeanette, seeing that owl yesterday made my day. I am glad you enjoyed the link too. I love day ten when she is now referred to as 'manure face'!

Unknown said...

Hi Teresa, I had a lot to catch up on here. I really like your hay bales, the composition is so interesting. And the owl, well, I've never seen anything like him except in a zoo, so it must be awesome to live where you can see wildlife like this.

Teresa Mallen said...

Hi Deborah,

I am glad you like the hay bales, even with the bad photo!

I am very blessed to live in an area so rich with wildlife.

Congratulations on your beautiful new granddaughter!!

Paulette said...

Hi Teresa,
Great photos!
Love the twelve days of Christmas, my husband was just mentioning that it would cost a fortune to feed the gifts, even just for the twelve days!

Perpetual Chocoholic said...

It's always so incredible when an unexpected guest appears like the owl! One year we were feeding squirrels and about 9 had been feeding at once in the yard. A row of crows sat on the telephone wire waiting for their turn. (They used to look in our windows until we'd throw food out.)
Well a hawk came cruising by and took a few swoops down at the little party. The flock of crows got upset and ran it off.

Teresa Mallen said...

Hi Paulette, glad you liked the photos. And yes the feed bill for all the critters that make up the gifts would be quite high. Of course it sounds like the 12 milking maids ate their fair share as well!! :-)

Hey there Sandi, you chocoholic you...hope Santa fills your stocking with lots of rich dark chocolate. I imagine a flock of irate crows could send just about anybody packing!