Last night after an afternoon of birding with one of my photography girlfriends, we stopped in the parking lot of the Twin Swamps Nature Preserve (Posey County, IN). She was telling me about the trails there and the types of birds she’s seen when she’s been there in the past. The sun had just set and it was too dark for us to go on a walk, so we just sat there in our cars for a bit.

A short time later, a barred owl appeared and began hooting. I love their hoots, because it sounds like they’re saying “Who cooks for you, who cooks for you you all?” Instead of taking still photos of the owl, because it was too far away to see its face, I decided to take some videos of it hooting. I took two short videos and decided to take another one, so I could capture the entire hooting call. To our surprise, a second owl appeared and they hooted to one another from the same tree!

I can’t tell you how much joy I felt watching and listening to them. I’m a country girl, but I’ve lived in the city for the better part of my life. I never hear anything this awesome in my city neighborhood. I usually hear lawnmowers, leaf blowers, barking dogs, and the occasional wail of a siren from emergency vehicles racing past my neighborhood. I felt so blessed to be sitting in the solitude of Nature and witness this conversation between two creatures calling to one another.

Did you have any awesome nature experiences this weekend? If so, share them in the comments.