I had a nice visit with this creature on my last walk through the garden. It was perched just around three metres from the trail. They are impressive and a bit intimidating. This looks like a barred owl. We often get visits from barred owls. Spotted owls look similar, but I think the markings here look more like a barred owl, which are much more common. Unfortunately this one did not open its wings to reveal its breast.
One of the eeriest bird calls in the coastal woods: if you hear it at night, it will make your hair stand on end. Apparently mistaken for a Sasquatch call quite often: I read of one project where those who claim to have heard Sasquatch were played the call of the barred owl and said "that's it!".
