Mystery Bird Series #2: Black Owl in the Woods

MYSTERIOUS BIRD

Oakland, California, USA

Best Guess: Long-Eared Owl (strange coloration.. molting? juvenile?)

Stared at me very intently, somewhat creepy

Appears in many places, seems to follow one

Even appears in places that it could not conceivably get to

Accompanied by strange whispering

Ṃ͖̯͐̿ͅả̤̥͔͖̯̬͚y͖̥̰͍̰̓́̆͊͋̊̚͟ ̡̖̗̺̭̿͛̾ḇ̞̪ͬ͆͂̊ͅeͪ͗̑̽͏̜̣͇ ̂̃̊͟d͍͎̳̋ͩͨͨͯe͔̓͆ͧ̍͊mͣ͠o̷͚̘̼̺̯ͮ͛ͬͭͩͪ̉n̍̐̓̾ͅǐ̝̀ͅcͮ͊ͨ́ͩ̾͏͎̹̮̤̫ ͚͙̹̪̬̠͎͊̏̓̋ĭͭṉ̷̱̓ͥ͆ͮ̈́ͯ ̪̹͇̏͋s̹̲̪̥̻̯̤̎̏̑̐̌ͥͧ͡ơ̊ͪ̽ͮ̏͂́ͅm̸̱͍̭͎͒̌̎ͮͣ̏͐ͅe̬̦̝̝̻̦͓ͨ̄ͦ ͎̪͎̳̺̬̟͞w̱̙̩̘̓̚ã͓̦̩̦͓͉́̄̎̓ͭẏ̩̯̗̹̿͆ͩͯ͘

À̸̼̻̰̺͇̾ͮͧ͒́v̟̜͔̲͔̰̬ͣ̀͟ͅo̟͈̿ͧ͛ͯ̂̊͌ĭ̸̺̀̓ͭ̿͟d̅͞͏͕͈̻̖͓͎͠ ̶̯̫̯̼͍̫̃̀ä̛̗͈̝̿ͭ̓́t̷̡̨̪͓̝̞͒ͨ̋̋͊ͅ ͤ̅̆͐̿͜͝͏͖͚͍ͅá͎͕̮̫̊̋͂̿͠l͓̖͕̝̭̹̂͆ͪ͛̚͟lͥ̓͊ͩ̋̏͢͏҉̤ ̖̖͎͇̜̗̋̌̚̕c̗̠̯͓̰̞̔̀̆̽̇ͣ͑ͬ͜ỏ̬̞̣́͂͆͐ͧ̾̃͢s̥̥ͧ̐ͥ̏̿ţ̥̪ͣ͐ͬ̐ͧ̌s͉̖̼̣͉̳̿ͫ͛͊ͨ͛ͪͥ

T̢̯͉̻̺̜̒̒͐ͮ͋͆̏̔̅͢ͅH̨̅̏ͦͣ͐̾ͤͧ̈ͮͤ̆̉͗͛ͮ̀͝͏̫̯͉͚̹̖͈̭͍̦̙̘̩̱̣̦̲E̶̡̛̺͚̺̼͍̲ͪ̈́̐̔͗R̸͖̫̹̜̼̯ͤ̓̄̂̌̀ͨͣ̾̀͜Ę̔́ͣͦͤͣ̀ͩ̀ͯ̔͒̃̄ͣ҉͕̮͎̮͇͞ ͋́̆̋̅͛͋ͣ͗ͧ͌͗̓̐̔̊̚҉̣̮̱͉̞̦̝̫̤̲̟̹͖̼̥̺̝ͅͅI̷̸͍̼̙̭̞̝̲̬̺̜͚͉̹̲ͧ̊͒ͬ͆̐̑̾̿̇̾̈̇͆̀ͅͅŚ̛̾͛̎ͮ̽̈̃̔͛͌͌҉̶҉̴̣̩̦͖͇͇̺̹͍͚̬ͅ ̨̧͉͙̭̯̹̭̣̙̟̱̰͎̩͋̓͋͑ͨ͌͑ͭ͊ͥ̔̍ͯ̎ͯͤ̍́͟͡ͅͅͅͅN̨̛ͪ̀͑ͧͧ̽ͮ̎ͭͮ͛ͣͯ͐ͥͦͫ́̕͏̙͈̺̰͕̝̼̳͙̹̫̲̳͎̟̭̦Ȍ̷̜͈̹̩̪͙̼̰͙̭̹͔̱̲̞̝̞̟̎̑̍̄̍ͭ̀͠͠Ţ̞̺̯̭̟̲ͦ̑̓ͩ̌̀ͮ̓͗̇̽ͤͦ͌̔̆͝͡͠Ḩ̭̱͖͎̲̰͎̳̹̯̰̘̞̘̙͕̽̔ͪ̌̎͌ͩ͡Į̨̓̾͂̓͒͑̏̐ͣ͋͗҉̵̧̹͓̟̤͚̩̟͖̪̼̼͕̟̝͎N̡̨̛̜̞͍̦͔̲̤̣͈̗̩͍͓̼̤̿ͩ̒̉ͬ͊ͩ͒ͣ̊́̚G̴̻̪̭͇͓̩͋̈́ͮ̆͐ͨ̂ͧͭ́̔̍͊͊͗̎̈́̅̽͠ ̴̷̙̱̦̳͓͖͚̺̟̗̲̘̩̪͕̦̙̩̾̋ͦ͒ͯ̐̊͗̈͒ͯ̆͢͞T͖̯̲̭̣͈̻̰̝̩͍ͧͧ͆̋͗͊͑̋̔̀̂͗̈́ͣ̿̊͑̋͘̕Ǫ̶̘̲̰͎̜̞͉̣͎̱̝̰͒̊͛͐̿ͮ͆̂ͬͬ̔̿̉͜͟ ̵̱̘̘̬̫̜̝͔̫̪̭͖͓͖̼̠̣̺͓̔̍ͭ̔̂̒ͦ̽̾̿͊͘͝͠͞W̸̞̞̥̠̖̞̮̫͊͒́͗͋ͮ̇̌̈͂̆̏̌̚̕̕͟͡Õ̭̖̙̌ͨͤͣ̋̌̿ͣ̑̀̚͠͝͞ͅR̶̟͕̜̦͖̞̯̹͚̪ͥͭ̐̄ͭ̽ͬ̐͊̔͛͒̉͘̕͟͞R͍̘̘̯̠̥͍̙̲͇̠̳̖͛͆ͨ͑̓̂̚͜͝Ý̵̡̼̬͔̹̥͔̯̪̘͐̓ͭ̅͗̈́̌ͬͨ̍͗̃̅̚͝ͅͅͅ ̧̡̦̝̩̮̗̙͑ͮ́͗ͣ̐ͤ͑̽̈͛͢͝ͅĄ̥̰̭̦̼̳̭̲͇̞̒̉̿͗̊̉͌ͧͨ̒̆̂́̕B̶̧̧͉̜̤͓̲̺̫̩͕͚̣͍̤̘̭̜̙̐̌ͫ̍͂ͩ̓ͯ̋͒͑͆̂̎ͬ̀͟͞O̶̡̅̆̄̅ͦ͆̄̿ͫ̂̈́͑ͥ̇͋̃́̚̕҉̥̹̹̝̜̮̲͖͖͚̣̮̦U͑̌̾ͥ̾̇̂̀҉̰̯͔̰̬̙̦̟͙͙̥̟͈̰͓͔̮͉T̸̢̤̫̘͉̳̥͇̟̲̮͚̮̰͆̐ͩ̊͒̃͛̆͐̾̍̇̔͢͠͡

 

Bird Portraiture, Western Scrub-Jay

 

Western Scrub-Jay
San Leandro, California, USA
member of the Crow/Jay Family
*true bird fact* ~ He likes to hide seeds for the winter. Sometimes he forgets them and they turn into trees. This is what we call the 'circle of life'.

Very patriotic
likes kids, coaches little league softball
Doesn't get a lot of things about modern pop-culture, uses slang incorrectly
Into health foods
A little bit awkward when trying to express emotions

Bird Portraiture, Tricolored Heron

Tricolored Heron
Green Cay, Florida, USA
member of the Egret/Heron/Bittern Family
*true bird fact* ~He used to be named the 'Louisiana Heron', but changed his name for some reason. That's really.. something..

Apolitical
Likes to get dressed up and go out on the town
A smoker
Will just kind of stand around loitering, likes to be around people
Used to be involved in some sort of shady criminal activity, doesn't like to talk about his past

Birds.gif #1: Bird Bath

(click me to be transported to a wonderful world of .gif)

New Feature!! Sometimes the amateurnithologist encounters a bird performing some kind of charming or interesting behavior that can only be captured accurately in motion. Thus, birds.gif
This bird has been ID'd as a

Brewer's Blackbird
Berkeley, California, USA
Member of the Blackbird Family
*true bird fact*~ She is named after noted Ornithologist Thomas Mayo Brewer who also has a duck and a shrew named for him. Now that's a legacy!

Likes to pamper herself sometimes
A capable and unashamed mom
Reads light fiction books on the beach
Drinks a coffee with her female friends

Here's the full video. No sound because who really wants to hear me say "ooh, look at the birds, they're so cute" like a 7 year old girl.