.... Other than the ones mounted in the museums, I mean. Grandma said she could hear the owls in the swamp near her place all the time, and I'm pretty sure she even once mentioned one of them swooping in and sitting awhile on her porch railing. I must have been on that farm a million times growing up and never once did I see so much as a feather. Go figure.
Then, a few years ago, we went out to see friends in a part of the country we hadn't been to in years. Our friend, wanting to show us an enjoyable time, packed us into her van and took us off to a recently opened park nearby, telling us of the winding forest paths behind the interpretive center.
It was a lovely place with sharp ravines, a rushing river and lots of tree life. As we rounded one curve our friend, slightly ahead, stopped and said: "Oh look. An owl chick!"
What?! Where?
It was in a tree just ahead of us and several feet up. It was about the size of a football and it was covered in snow-white fluffy down. It started and us with huge eyes. It sometimes blinked or moved its head a bit, but it didn't say a thing.
Great Horned Owl, said my Dad, pointing out the pronounced ears not visible on other species. We stood there for a long time looking and admiring, for it's not everyday you see something like this.
And indeed, whey did I have to travel so far from away to see one? Do they really exist here at home?
Last summer, Mom and I took a country drive not far from home, to see if we could see any interesting wildlife. As we stood by the creek in the dusk watching the water for hints of beaver or waterfowl, I heard, on the silent summer air, a very distant "Hoot! Hoot! Hooooot!"
Yes, they're near by. And they'll come out when they're ready.
Then, a few years ago, we went out to see friends in a part of the country we hadn't been to in years. Our friend, wanting to show us an enjoyable time, packed us into her van and took us off to a recently opened park nearby, telling us of the winding forest paths behind the interpretive center.
It was a lovely place with sharp ravines, a rushing river and lots of tree life. As we rounded one curve our friend, slightly ahead, stopped and said: "Oh look. An owl chick!"
What?! Where?
It was in a tree just ahead of us and several feet up. It was about the size of a football and it was covered in snow-white fluffy down. It started and us with huge eyes. It sometimes blinked or moved its head a bit, but it didn't say a thing.
Great Horned Owl, said my Dad, pointing out the pronounced ears not visible on other species. We stood there for a long time looking and admiring, for it's not everyday you see something like this.
And indeed, whey did I have to travel so far from away to see one? Do they really exist here at home?
Last summer, Mom and I took a country drive not far from home, to see if we could see any interesting wildlife. As we stood by the creek in the dusk watching the water for hints of beaver or waterfowl, I heard, on the silent summer air, a very distant "Hoot! Hoot! Hooooot!"
Yes, they're near by. And they'll come out when they're ready.
Here is the owl chick sitting in his tree
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