His eyes, His kingdom

I must have shown up late. I arrived hoping to hear the iconic call of an owl, but the morning chorus was hardly a chickadee. After hours of searching, and not one single click. Finally, luck smiled on me. The unmistakable hoot of a barred owl pierced the melody of silence that surrounded me. Much closer than expected! following the sound, I scanned a tall tree, my gaze fixed a great height. Nothing there, my ears must have deceived me. I was considering giving up, he sounded quite high, perhaps I don't have the angle to see him, I thought. Then, out of the corner of my eye, a flash of wings! Silly me, looking in wrong direction completely. Now though, the majestic barred owl posed so perfectly for me. After snapping this photo, I thanked him for completing my story that day.