Joanne Morneau is having a relationship problem.
No, not with her husband Germain – he’s great - but with one of her neighbours who just won’t shut up.
Having said that, Joanne also enjoys when her neighbour is making a racket so she’s not sure how to feel. The neighbour in question is a lovely barred owl – also known as a hoot owl – that frequents her backyard.
The owl is magnificent but, as the hoot name says, it makes a lot of noise.
“The owl is so beautiful, but I must say the hooting is crazy,” Joanne told the NOW. “I am hooting his or her call all the time now - miss the owl when it’s not there and then get tired of it when it is there - classic relationship problems.”
She called her old friend Glen Govier over to take some photos. Govier is known to NOW readers for his incredible pics of the rare Mandarin Duck that has been splitting time between Deer Lake and Burnaby Lake.
The barred owl is not really rare, but Govier said it’s just as beautiful.
“I went by there twice yesterday,” Govier said. “I didn’t find it the first time, so I went over to piper Spit at Burnaby Lake for a while and got some great beaver photos, and then went back by Joanne’s neighbourhood on the way home. I found it on the second visit.”
I love living in a community that is so urban and yet so full of amazing creatures and nature – and other people who appreciate those creatures.
