I finally saw the owl

Yesterday I finally saw the barred owl that has been the talk of our town for the last couple of weeks.   My sweetheart and I were finishing up one of our favorite walks along the river, and almost walked right past this guy, who was sitting on a fencepost less then 6 feet away, at eye level.

He (she?) blended in so well with the surrounding vegetation, I nearly missed him.  It was broad daylight, though a bit overcast, at 2:00 pm on a February afternoon, so the sun was weak.   And there he was, not the least bothered by people walking by (stopping to take photos), a busy road 100 yards away, and although he turned his head away from full frontal viewing

he clearly was perfectly at ease, even when I walked right up to him.

His plumage was beautiful!   Fluffy yet silky, with delicious barring and spots.   Well, he IS a barred owl.  I had the strongest urge to reach out and stroke his beautiful feathers!   He reminded me so much of my chickens.   But I resisted mightily and we walked on, watching as other people came up, noticed the owl, and took their own pictures.   Perhaps he knows he is the star of his own movie?