An Owl Near Peter's Creek

My grandson Peter loves to go to the creek below our house so I named it Peter's creek. You can imagine my surprise when my son Josh pointed out this lonely stoic ceature sitting quietly among the trees. We were driving up the road to our house when Josh went crazy in the back seat yelling at me to stop the car. He pointed to something deep in the woods but it took me several minutes to see it for myself. I still can't figure out how he spotted it so quickly as I was driving.
After consulting with the internet we decided that it is a Barred Owl. The wing span was at least 30" as it flew away. Click Here to find out what they sound like. Josh only got one picture but it turned out to be a good one. My parents spotted a little screech owl in their greenhouse this past fall. It kept getting inside somehow. One day it got into their house when the sliding door between the greenhouse and the house was left open.
My dad caught it and brought it to an abandoned barn a few miles away. I feel pretty blessed to have gotten to see two of these amazing birds in just a few short months.