Although you cannot tell from this photograph, snow had arrived on the island, changing the evergreen landscape of a second growth forest I was exploring. Deep in the forest, I heard the hooting call of two Barred owls. As I was turning my attention to the now loud cacophony, one owl made a swift flight closer to where I was. I could see the owl had settled and slowly made my way towards it. Once I got close, I could see the predator was distracted, looking down at the snow-covered forest floor, probably looking and listening for movement below. The sun reflecting from the snow brought additional light to a usual dark understory.
It was so quiet as I watched the wise bird. I was worried my shutter would ruin the moment so I positioned myself and looked on. Eventually, the owl turned its dark eyes to me, as we stared at one another I knew it was not disturbed or felt threatened by my presence. I composed some frames from different angles, sometimes the owl stared at me. After a few minutes I let it be, saying a silent thank you for the wonderful encounter.