Last weekend, we went out for a short patrol to the east on the snow-machine trail and, as we got close to the beaver bog, a barred owl flew out just in front of us. We have seen owls here over the years but it has been five or six years since the last one. We do hear them every year.

The next day on a similar trip in the same area, I made it a point to scan the trees for the gray shape I have gotten used to. Then, there he was.