By Erin Tiernan — Erin@theconcordbridge.org
A handful of Concordians had a wide-eyed moment on the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail with the surprise midday appearance of a barred owl.
Eight-year-old Will Abata was riding the path with his dad, Mike, last week when they caught sight of the yellow-beaked bird.
“I spotted it at the last second, and then we turned around and stayed to watch it for a bit. It was really cool,” Will said.
The Abatas stopped to take in the unusual sight of a nocturnal bird, one of two spotted lately around town by birdwatchers in broad daylight.
“We were very close — like five or six feet away,” Will said. “We saw it turn its head like three-quarters of the way around!”
Passersby marveled at the sight of the sharp-eyed creature perched on a railing along the trail near Powder Mill Road. But after the owl stayed put for more than an hour, one woman became concerned. Fearing a broken wing, she notified Concord’s animal control officer.
Police had no immediate updates late last week.
As for Will and his dad, they said they didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary — other than the unique chance to get up close and personal with the bird of prey.
Hobbyist nature photographer Jean Fain, who spotted a pair of barred owls near White Pond that same day, urged people not to jump to conclusions about the birds’ health.
“There are some reasons an owl would be out during the day — it might be hungry, or it could have been scared from its roost,” she said.
