great horned owl

when i finally got up later today (after finally fixing the smoke detector and getting some sleep), i realized that it was an absolutely beautiful day outside. since i haven't seen the sun in days, i decided i needed to get out. i'd never had the time before to check out some of the "trails" in my pud, so i grabbed my camera and ipod and set out on a walk. my expectations were minimal--the area i live in is truly beautiful, but the pud, like most, can be a little mc-village-y. i anticipated i'd find a long length of sidewalks through a few trees, with lots of views of the ubiquitous mc-lakes found in each and every neighborhood.

fortunately, i was wrong. the trails here are far from standard and the expanse of them is vast. i ended up wandering for two hours on dirt and mulch trails through pine thickets to wooden bridges to the bases of large moss-covered oaks. i got some amazing shots along the way, but none so impressive as the pictures i snagged of a gigantic great horned owl that i discovered perched in a pine tree. this bird was incredible--massive, majestic, and *present.* she didn't linger long (a family with some small, loud children came through on bikes and scared her off), but she remained still just long enough for me to capture her beauty.






on the whole, i feel amazed and astounded by my day's journey. seems like the pud really did earn its green title by preserving actual green space and not simply installing yet another over-fertilized golf course. and, i must say, it feels good to know that my condo association fees serve to provide owls with a habitat as much as they do to provide meticulous manicures to the bushes around my building. ;-)

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want to see more photos? go to the picasa web album:

Summerfield Park