A Magical Day

What a magical day it has been! But before I share what happened today, I need to get you up to date on what's going on.

If you read my blog regularly, you know I started the blog because of my owl friends at 

Twin Lakes. Well, there is an open field quite close to their nest that is slated to be developed with many houses. The field is really important to the owls and all the wildlife 

that live around the lakes. I have seen them hunt in the field and their young use the 

trees on the edge of the field when they first leave the nest.

There is an active group working to stop the development. So fingers crossed we can save this area for the owls or they will surely move on and find a new home else where.

So now that you are updated, here is what happened today. I had the day off, so Hazel and I headed to the Boulder Valley Ranch loop for a hike. There was still lots of snow on the ground but it had warmed up nicely to around 20', so we were excited to get a good hike in.

My intuition had strongly pushed me to bring my camera, so I did. And I am so glad I did as you will see in a moment!

As we started the hike, I requested( to the Universe) to see an owl. I offered some suggestions to get my attention such as maybe I'd hear a soft "hoot" or perhaps I'd be guided to look in a particular spot.  I have not seen any owls around here but it is perfect habitat for them, so I knew they must be around. 

Well Hazel and I were about a quarter of a mile into the hike and I spotted a big lump ahead. My heart stopped and my jaw dropped as I realized it was a great horned owl perched about 1 foot off the ground on the fence. Holy crap! I had already forgotten about my request and was just super excited to see this guy! He was sitting about 2 feet off the trail and seemed very comfortable. We gave him some space and I started taking photos. This was crazy! He barely opened his eyes to check me out and then continued napping.

I noticed a runner coming towards us. I almost pointed out the owl but decided not to. Ha! The guy ran right by him and never even saw him! What? I wondered if I was the only one who could see him, so when an older couple came by, I showed them the owl and they could see him. Okay, at least he was visible if people chose to notice him.

I thanked him for the pics and we continued down the trail. As I was walking I remembered my request to see an owl! I bust out laughing as I thought about it. The Universe was not subtle when it placed that GHO in plain sight! I love it!

We walked another half mile or so before I just had turn around and head back to see the owl.......

We get back to the owl and he's still just napping. I see a guy coming with his dog and decided to just observe the situation. Are you kidding me? Both the guy and the dog walked right by him!

And then this gal came by with her dog and walked right by.....

Here's a closeup and you can see the owl beyond her arm.

How crazy was that! I was totally amused by the people that had totally missed him. And then I got to thinking about how myself and others are working to help out the GHO at Twin Lakes. Was this a sign that the owl's habitat will be saved? Was it a thank you for attempting to save the habitat? All I know is this was amazing!

Now I had the thought to go over and see if Sonny and Cher were around( the twin lakes owls). So we headed over to check it out. We walked down the main path but they were not around. So we doubled back and walked down the trail that goes behind the nest tree. I looked in their favorite tree and they were not there. So I checked the trees that border the field in question. Nope, no owls. Oh well.....I walked back past their favorite tree and now Sonny was sitting in plain view! Ha! I thank him for showing himself and grabbed a few pics.

When I got home and downloaded the pics, I realized Cher was tucked in next to Sonny. In the pic above, you can see her lower body!

After we left Twin Lakes, We headed back to see if the magical owl was still around. The wind had really picked up, so I was not surprised that he had left and found a more suitable place for a nap.
Wow! Wow! Wow! What an amazing day,huh????

Thanks for reading!