air time

Last night as I enjoyed a cup of cocoa, a Great Horned owl announced himself, so loud he sounded like he was sitting on my roof. The dogs were startled and I turned off the light in the livingroom for some reason I can't explain. I guess it just felt like the thing to do, to give the night hunter the best shot possible of finding his prey.

So I stepped outside, the dogs left behind though they wanted to follow me. And when the door squeaked open and shut, the owl's call stopped. So I stood on my porch with my binoculars and waited for the fog and the quiet to settle around me again.

And then, after a brief hush, there he was. Unfortunately, I was unable to spot him. I'm sure he spotted me.

Strange thing about owls - they aren't as nice as you'd imagine. They are designed to hunt and few things deter them. They eat other owls, they eat other raptors, ospreys and falcons. They are the only animal out there who regularly eats skunks. In fact, they are so disruptive in the bird world that crows will gang up on them by the hundreds to mob them, sometimes yelling at them for hours.

He wasn't suffering from that situation last night. He and I were on our own, and he had a much better chance of ending up with dinner than I did. I can't help but listen for him now, at the end of each evening.

--Laura