I love being in the woods looking for owls and I love feeling that something is watching me even more, as was the case here - smile.
The most remarkable moment with this Great Gray Owl was a group of about 14 birders who walked past me and the owl without even replying to my “hello”. No reply, eyes down as if they had already decided that they were not going to see an owl; so they didn’t get to see the owl :)