Barrington resident Martin Sornborger snapped a photograph of a barred owl that was perched on the branch of a pine tree in his backyard earlier this week.

Mr. Sornborger's wife, Charlotte, who is a well-known wildlife advocate, wrote that her husband had heard a squirrel chirping loudly — often a sign of a predator in the area — and decided to investigate. He spotted the owl on a tree in a wooded portion of his yard in Hampden Meadows.

"He watched it for a half-hour or so until dusk, at which point the owl attempted to catch first a small bird, then the squirrel (both unsuccessfully)," wrote Ms. Sornborger. "It then became dark enough to preclude any more watching, though likely the owl had a success or two afterwards."

Ms. Sornborger said there are other owls in Barrington, including "Screech Owls and Great Horned Owls, and occasionally Saw-whets and Long-eared," she wrote.

"It can be most rewarding for us Barrington residents to watch and listen for all kinds of birds in their neighborhoods!"