It is the time of year when young boys (and old guys like me) get excited. Every Fall Great Gray Owls start hunting after sunrise and nearer the roadside. All summer long the “gray ghost of the forests” are deep in the Bog, and rarely show themselves where humans dare to tread.
The weather forecast was perfect this morning for owling … dead calm winds and overcast. Thus, long before sunrise I got in the car and drove northward arriving at one of my favorite spots as the sun was rumored to be coming up behind the clouds. When two of my favorite locations yielded me zippo, I changed strategy and Voila!
This Great Gray Owl hated, REALLY HATED noise. After dumping my car and slowly walking towards the owl, I learned walking on dirt / gravel was NOT an action desired by the bird (too noisy). When I moved my small and slow steps to the grassy area off to the side of the road, my presence was tolerated. Remember, these owls hunt using their hearing.
This morning’s Great Gray Owl 
Playing Red Light / Green Light with the Great Gray! (none of the images are cropped)
Was convinced I had gotten too close, but nope!
Is a cackling goose the same as what people used to say was a lesser Canadian?
Not personally certain whether that was one of its names, but some years back it was definitely considered a Canada Goose sub-species … https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Cackling_Goose/overview