We spent a few days in Charleston SC around the Fourth of July holiday. It allowed me to enjoy time with family, swimming and boating on the Ashley River, dining in some excellent restaurants, and photographing wildlife.
As we often do, my father and I took a drive out to Magnolia Plantation and Gardens – which borders the Ashley River – to wander the trails in search of interesting birds to photograph. The forests, meadows, and wetlands of this well-preserved historic plantation are a haven for numerous species of birds, not to mention alligators, turtles, and other aquatic life. We spent a lot of time watching a barred owl, resting in a tree at our own eye level. The owl was staring down into the muddy riverbank vegetation, no doubt hoping for a snack – all while a noisy redwing blackbird circled and harassed it. At one point, the owl swooped out of its tree, followed closely by the blackbird, and flew right past my father as it headed for a quieter place to roost. This and other great shots in the gallery!
The gallery includes two short videos (clip1, clip2) of the blackbird harassing the owl.
David Kotz 
Thanks for this post, David.Last week I built two Barred Owl nest boxes. One for my sister ( she has a regular caller who hunts