It was a treat on a mid-March day to watch this Barred Owl perch on a fence post, then swoop onto the snowy ground in chase of prey, and then return to the fence post when its attempt was unsuccessful.

Many Barred Owls were seen in the open during daylight in the winter of 2016/2017. This is because there was a shortage of cone production in the region's conifer trees. Cones are the favorite food of deer mice, red squirrels, and other critters - which happen t o be the favorite food of Barred Owls. With a shortage of cones, there was a resultant shortage of the deer mice and squirrels. The Barred Owls were thus forced to move into the open in search of field mice and other prey, and to hunt around the clock.