Seizing the opportunity, I enjoyed a leisurely ski tour this afternoon at Veterans Memorial Park.
My route encompassed the perimeter loop through the scrub-shrub meadow area and the loop through Mooney Carrese Forest.
While skiing this circuit a few times, I spied a barred owl silently gliding through the treetops in a grove of white pines. I did not have a chance to get a photo during that brief viewing since my camera phone was safely tucked away in a zippered pocket. So, for a photo (and more), please view the informative pages of the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center - lots of information regarding how to ID these great birds of prey as well as life history and even listen to their song.
In addition to that highlight, I also saw/heard: American robins, black-capped chickadees, pileated woodpeckers, hairy woodpeckers, a red-bellied woodpecker, a tufted titmouse, American crows, European starlings (definitely the lowlight of my outing!), and blue jays. If you search the Pautuxent site, you can find interesting info about each of these species.
Happy trails!
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