This week’s photo, taken January 24, 2013 in Discovery Park in Seattle, WA, features a GREAT HORNED OWL, lounging on a limb after working the night shift.

Today, Thursday, I spend a few hours in Discovery Park, Seattle’s largest park. During my outing, bird activity is rather quiet, overall, but a few special sightings make up for the low numbers. At the pond, a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK perches and preens for several minutes. The hawk’s presence probably is the reason no other birds are visible in the immediate area. Meanwhile, in an evergreen tree deep in the forest, yet not far from the pond, a large owl sits close to the tree’s trunk. It has its back to me, but because of its massive size and prominent ear-tufts, it must be a GREAT HORNED OWL. When it eventually turns and looks at me, there is no longer any doubt.

At the…