Chirps and Cheeps

It was a beautiful day here in Western New York and Celeste and I went birding at Tifft Nature Preserve just to get out and enjoy the gorgeous weather.  With no particular agenda, we took our time walking through the preserve. We came upon the "infamous" Red-tailed Hawk that many folks have encountered and photographed so we took our share of photos of him too.  S/he's a juvenile, first year bird that I've seen several times this year. You can tell this by its light eye color and banded tail.

Nothing else was found of great interest, but we were happy to encounter a couple of lingering White-throated Sparrows and several Pied-billed Grebes.

On my way home, not wanting the glorious day to end, I stopped at another park and encountered a Barred Owl on my walk.  I love when that happens!  This guy allowed me a few photos that turned out fairly decent, given the very low light.  And, as I stood there quietly enjoying its presence, I noticed it was "speaking".  Some small, low notes or sounds came from the owl almost as if it was trying to converse with me.  Maybe it was and, if so, I'd love to know what it was saying!