Sunday, May 9, 2010

Every Once in Awhile…

we are given a gift, a special moment in time. Something. Perhaps an event, perhaps what we could perceive as a miracle, that fills our hearts to overflowing. My parents were recently given such a special gift. A baby owl visited their yard. This might be expected in a rural setting, but my parents live in a small town.
My mother feared the baby would go into the street, so she put on leather gloves and carefully moved the baby to safety. They were able to watch and observe this sweet baby for a little while… until later when they noticed the baby was safely up in a tree with a parent. But before that, my mother was able to get some exceptional pictures of this baby owl and she said I could share them with you.
Also, if there are any ornithology experts reading this, we would appreciate some ideas or an identification on what type of owl this is. Mom has some ideas in mind, but nothing definite as of yet.  This baby appears to be the offspring of “the neighborhood owls” whom they think may be nesting along the creek bank near their home. They have visited before, eyeing the little faux critters that my mother had around their garden pond. UPDATE: this baby is most definitely a Barred Owl.
Oh yes… now I present this fuzzy little bundle of cuteness…
baby_owl1
baby_owl2
baby_owl3
baby_owl4
These pictures are great, but Mom says she wishes that somehow she could have captured the sloooow blinks of the little owl eyes. Absolutely precious.
I hope these pictures warm your heart as much as they did mine!
sig3

39 comments:

Parsley said...

That is a gift from Heaven! I just love how God shows us his creation!

Osage Bluff Quilter said...

Oh My God, is that just not too cute!!!!

Unknown said...

Oh, how precious! Birds and animals like this remind me how creative God is! Thanks for sharing with us!

Karen said...

He's beautiful! Owls are so unique looking. Don't you wonder what they're thinking? I've only been lucky enough to see one or two in the wild. Loved seeing these photos!

Q said...

Dear Tammy,
Sweetness! A wonderful experience for your Mother. So sorry I do noy know the type of owl your little one is. I wish I did know the name of this darling owl. I looked in my books but could not tell.
Hope you enjoyed Mother's Day.
It is cold tonight, low 40 degrees! Brrrr...
Sherry

Maura @ Kisiwa Creek Photography said...

What a sweet surprise for your parents to find in their yard...it's not every day you see a baby owl that close up. Thank goodness she remembered to take pictures! I hope someone will let you know what kind of an owl it is. Have a wonderful Monday! Take care Tammy...
Maura:)

Lois Christensen said...

Beautiful! Hope you had a great Mother's Day!

Diana Ferguson said...

So Cute!!!

Anonymous said...

He's precious! Yes... movie-mode would have been activated on my pocket camera to get those sloooow blinks recorded.

Di
The Blue Ridge Gal
(We had 39 degrees last night)

Rural Rambler said...

That little owl is too cute for words! Love the pictures and that your Mom moved it to a safe place :)

Down On The Farm said...

Wow. I don't think I've ever seen an owl that close before. That is so cool!

Deanna said...

I have always been fascinated by owls. Even did a project on them in college, but of course can't remember the different types. That little guy is precious!

Thank you for the sweet share.

Deanna

Unknown said...

Oh my goodness, what a sweet surprise!! Talk about adorable!

Girl Tornado said...

Oh Tammy, he is so cute and beautiful. Aren't their feathers just gorgeous up close? I love the pics I got of the barn owl when he got tangled up in some fly tape in our shop over a year ago...I'm looking at my bird book, and I'm guessing he could be a Spotted Owl or Barred Owl, judging by his markings and his size. But hard to say without seeing the parents and their markings.

Speaking of, I have an extra Peterson Field Guide to Birds, which I'm planning to give to someone in a giveaway. Soon. I've been so remiss in my blog duties lately! Wahhhh!

Farming On Faith said...

Oh so very cute~thank your Momma for sharing. I loved seeing this little guy!

Anonymous said...

Stop it. Right this very second. Oh.my. How cute is that baby?!

I think you said it just right - this was such a special moment. And I'm so happy that later your mom saw baby with parent up in a tree.

This baby was up way past his or her bedtime! ;) Thanks so much for sharing - warmed my heart right up.

Melinda said...

Very cute. Glad your Mom was able to move the baby w/o the Mom going after her.

Have a great week.

Melinda

Gwenieann said...

Now that was truly awe inspiring! I thank you many times over for sharing that with me today. What a blessing our feathered creatures are. :-)

McVal said...

Too cute!

Rising Rainbow said...

So sweet. I just love babies of all kinds of critters.

Staci@LifeAtCobbleHillFarm said...

How wonderful to see this precious little thing! Thanks so much for sharing.
-Staci

Kilauea Poetry said...

Boy I was thinking of you today!! So I confess, I tried to comment via my phone but two of the photos wouldn't come out! I can blow them up nicely but it gets to be a hassle. These are fabulous!! Wow..how exciting! Must of been jazzed to photograph these babies! Well, better back in the wild as long as a parent is there for him!
Your header is gorgeous too..so many Spring blossoms I see!! Anyway, I'm doing catch up right now and wanted say how I hoped your Mother's Day was fantastic!
My best, Regina-

Debbie said...

Oh now, that is just the cutest and fluffiest owl baby.

Linda Stubbs said...

Awwww that is so sweet. We have little owls that live and visit our barn. Love it!
Thank you for showing us the cutness! Smile

blessings, Linda
Prairie Flower

Nezzy (Cow Patty Surprise) said...

What a fluffy ball of treasure. Your mama was so very fortunate to have this encounter with this little creature. My guess is that he is a little spotted owl. No matter what, he sure is sweet!

God bless ya and have a marvelous day!!!

Elle Bee said...

Sooooo darling!! Oh my goodness, I just love that baby owl--What beautiful feathers! THat must have been an unbelievable treat, to observe that.

Rachel said...

I have a deep and abiding L-O-V-E for owls! Your parents are so lucky to have such a sweet visit!

Manuela@A Cultivated Nest said...

That really is a fuzzy bundle of cuteness!!

Manuela

~from my front porch in the mountains~ said...

Oh, my gosh! Just too amazing. I am speechless...I still get giddy when the wild turkey show up here!
We have a couple of owls who hoot all night long. I love listening to them in while laying in bed at night!
How can anyone not be in awe of wildlife?!
Thank you so much for sharing this!!
And thanks to your Mom also :)

xo, misha

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Hi Tammy, I'm hear from Misha's blog since she told me about your owls. I'm afraid that I don't know which owl that precious baby is... I'd have to see the parents. BUT--he is such a Cutie. Glad your parents could help that baby. Obviously, he fell out of his nest.

Hugs,
Bety

Jody Blue said...

That is a special gift!!! I love it when the Lord provides unexpected things that make our day.

Cheryl said...

Wow what great photos! I love owls.

Sue said...

How Cool is this, great photography, and yes it did warm my heart, he's so cute. What a great opportunity to be able to experience this. Your Mom did a great job on her pics.
Thanks for sharing.
Sue

Eggs In My Pocket said...

How sweet! I so agree that these moments we are allowed to have with nature are special! Even though we live way, way,out in the woods, I always feel blessed to come across creatures of all kinds! Such a sweet post! blessings,Kathleen

Anonymous said...

Cutest feathered friend photo ever
... can't wait for pics of peeps.

Your coop is looking mighty fine!

Misty DawnS said...

Oh my gosh! That is SO AWESOME! What a wonderful experience.

Teresa said...

Oh how cute! We have baby owls way up in our trees, but we can't get a good photo because they're so far up there. These pictures are absolutely amazing. How fun!

Bob West said...

I enjoyed visiting your blog. Amazing Pics!Hopefully, mine will be an encouragement to you.
God Bless, Bob West

http://westbob.blogspot.com/2010/05/god-vs-science.html

Thistle Cove Farm said...

How wonderful; loved this post and photos! While we were in London, we were awakened each morning by the gentle call of a hoot owl...just fabulous! We've had a white barn owl roost in our barn but has since moved on to other lodging. Sad for me, I loved seeing him in our old barn loft.

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