I finally decided to make the trip down to Kingsville to see the Great Grey Owl that's been causing such a commotion for the past few weeks. And guess what? I didn't see it. Apparently it was seen briefly Saturday morning, before I got down there, and hasn't made an appearance since.
I can't even tell you how disappointed I was. When I headed down there Saturday morning, I told myself I'd be thrilled if I came back with even one frame-worthy shot. By Sunday morning, I would've been happy just seeing the bird. But after a total of 13 hours of driving (3 hours each way, then driving around the back roads trying to track down the owl), I didn't come home happy. :(
I really hope the bird's just moved on to better hunting grounds, and it hasn't been hit by a car or taken out by a local to get rid of all the annoying tourists clogging the roads. A few of the people I spoke with while I was there said visitors had been getting increasingly loud and the poor thing was having trouble hunting.
So yes, I missed out on an incredible opportunity, and I'm even more jealous now of my friends' incredible pictures. I just hope this gorgeous owl is safe wherever it's moved off to.
Jen, I'm sorry you missed it. Usually, people post to ontbirds even with a negative outcome, to save other people the trip but I've seen no such Ontbirds Postings. Remember to enjoy the ride, not just the destination :-). Did you stop by Point Pelee?
ReplyDeleteI was dying to go down myself, theres a 3 hour driving commitment there and back from London, and with a 4.5 year old and an 8 month old, lets just say my wife wasn't a big fan of the idea.....;)
ReplyDeleteDwayne - Thanks. Yeah, it was pretty disappointing. And I didn't have time to stop in at Pelee. That'll be my next trip down that way. :)
ReplyDeleteBen - The drive sucked, I won't lie. That said, I'd take the three hours down to Kingsville over the 1 hour to Toronto any day. Much less traffic made for a much nicer drive.