Barred Owl - In Plain View, originally uploaded by Florida Wildlife Studio/ Deborah Kunzie.

Some Native American cultures link owls with supernatural knowledge and divination and yet some nations in the U.S. have strong taboos against owls. Apaches view the owl as the most feared of all creatures.
The feathers of owls are often used in connection with art and ritual. However, in the United States, as with eagle feathers, the possession of owl feathers as religious objects is regulated by federal law (e.g. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 and Title 50 Part 22 Code of Federal Regulations).

My grandmother was a Full Blood Creek Indian and told me that Creek warriors carried owl feathers so that they would have extraordinary night vision in battle.

Not so sure it served them well, but nonetheless I was able to capture this particular Barred Owl sitting in a secluded area just as I was exiting Brooker Creek Park. My walk through the park on this day was long and hot and without much luck of finding anything promising to shoot.

Not until I was headed out and there he sat. Shot with a Nikon 80-400 VR lens.