Herman Creek,  Mark O Hatfiled Wilderness Area,  Jul 20, 2013 - Jul 21, 2013     page 11 / 19

We arrived at Cedar Swamp Camp around 5:00pm, having hiked about eight miles, and gaining 2700 feet. A group of five were already camped there, as well as one other individual. We had no problem finding room to lay our sleeping bags, though, given the large camp.

We had a casual dinner, interesting conversation and then a little evening refreshment before hitting the sack. I listened to some music for a while. I finally put the music away and closed my eyes around 10:00pm. The quiet forest was peaceful and relaxing. But no sooner did I close my eyes, and I heard the distinct call of an owl nearby.

He repeated his call several times. Then, very faintly, I heard him fly through the forest. He filled the forest with his noise, but changed his call. As I listened, I realized that there were at least two owls in the trees. The second owl made a different call than the first. I listened to the dialogue for perhaps fifteen minutes. As abruptly as the owl's conversation began, they flew away, leaving the forest quiet once again!

After returning from the woods, I determined exactly what I had heard: Barred Owls. Very exciting!

(Thanks to Journey North and the owl recordings at http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/spring/OwlDictionary.html)