More than leaves

Let’s have another backyard visitor, shall we?

I was sitting in my livingroom, talking with a friend on the phone a few weeks ago. My gaze out the patio door rested on the top of my neighbor’s bird feeder pole and I thought, “Oh. A clump of leaves sitting on that pole.”

But the longer I looked at it, the more it came together along my optic nerve.

“Owl! I have to get a picture! There’s an owl out there. I’ll call you back! Have to get a photo. I’ll call you back!”

My friends are used to this kind of thing, so she acquiesced. I mean—I was already hitting the End Call button and grabbing the Nikon.

Anyway—here it is:

Just gorgeous.

(I did call my friend back and we continued the conversation. As one does. But I’m glad I got the shot. Some people walking by out back scared it away and I haven’t seen it since. But I’ll be on the lookout.)