April 27, 2026

Where: Cross County Trail between Tobin Road and King Arthur

When: February 4, 2024

BOTD: the barred owl.

• The above is the first owl I ever spotted on my own. At the time I took that photo I had listed 11 birds. Every bird still sounded the same to me, except for the white-throated sparrow. I routinely mistook a titmouse for a junco. In early February 2024 I was very, very new to this, and by the first day of spring I would be completely obsessed. This owl was a real tipping point.
• Earlier that month, I had walked the trail between Prosperity and Tobin with my niece, and she had helped me follow the sounds of drumming until I was able to list my first downy woodpecker. On this day, I started at the same trailhead, but decided to go one section further on. I passed a field, not much of one, really just an especially large yard, with two grazing horses in it, and then on the left, in a tree only about 20 feet up, I saw this football, nestled up against a tree trunk, looking very sleepy.
• At this point, I had not yet bought a pair of field glasses, and I was carrying my sister's camera, with a 75mm zoom. I honestly couldn't see shit, but I could see this owl. I couldn't believe this owl. He was right there. I stood on the trail for like 30 minutes, stopping everyone who passed by, "Hey, do you like owls? Look!”

• On May 12, 2024, I met my friend Patrick, who you will hear from tomorrow, for a bird walk in Maryland, and one of the first things we saw was this owl and owlet perched on an arching limb over the trail. A great start to a great outing.
• We saw three barred owls that day, and I collected six lifers. Make a bird friend; you won't regret it.
• On May 20, 2024, I spied one buried in the trees along the CCT, on that original section where I listed my first downy. For a few days, I genuinely imagined that I had a gift, that maybe as a baby a witch had kissed me and gave me the power to see barred owls. I saw three barred owls in 5 days that May! Incredible streak. I didn’t see another one until December, and 100 miles away.

• I am always trying to use a written description to describe a sound, and I think an amazing exercise would be to ask a random ten readers to make the noise they think I am describing.
• A barred owl has a low, warm hollow call and he says “Who COOKS for you? Who cooks for YOU?”
• I’d love to know what you’re hearing when I type that.

• A barred owl is a very good bird.