One June evening just after sunset, I went to a forested gulch near Mendocino and started making little mouse squeak sounds with my lips. Soon this pair of spotted owls glided in and sat in the trees watching me. They seemed totally fearless, after a while one even flew up to my face looking for the mouse. After getting bored with me, they settled down together and started nuzzling and preening each other, making soft cooing sounds all the while. I was amazed to see how affectionate they were with each other, and I watched until it was too dark to see.
Image #176