Friday Feathers

Want to see an Eastern screech owl?  Of course you do�

                                                    �On, no!  More tourists interrupting my nap.�

                                                                    �Nuts, I�ve got an itch!�

                                                        �I�m so tired after hunting all night!�

                                                       �Okay, so what do you want, anyway?�

                                    �Sorry, I have to rest up for tonight�s hunt.  See you later��

The real beauty of this owl is that it was roosting for the day in a red-cockaded woodpecker hole.  Yep, in one of those white ringed longleaf pines along the Upland Discovery Trail on the refuge.  A visitor excitedly reported it to us in the VC this afternoon, and Kathy and I wasted no time getting out there to see it.  The red-cockaded woodpecker is not only an endangered species, but also a �keystone� species.  That means that its homes are used by more than just their species.  This was a great example of how important they are to the entire ecosystem.  Cool beans!  (Sorry, sometimes I just have to add subtitles even though I know it�s anthropomorphism.) 

                                                                                THE END!!

Thanks for stopping by� talk to you later,  Judy