I cried when I saw my first owl.
It was our second attempt to find her. We heard that a great-horned owl had made a nest at the LA Arboretum. When we asked the first day, we were given very detailed and careful instructions of how to find the owl. We looked so hard, but no luck. We heard from others that the fledglings had left the nest and that owls destroy their nests after one use. WE had no idea if this was true or not, but we figured we were too little, too late.
Back the next day--hot on the trail of the Scaly-Breasted Munia-- we were told that the owls had not left. In fact, a photographer had been there that very morning to capture the owls. So, we raced off--hoping against hope.
This from Hansen's Field Guide to Birds of the Sierra Nevada:
Lord of the night. Roosting in seclusion, deep within shaded forests or sheltered in a cranny high on a cliff face, this sturdy, full body, and fearsome predator possesses the erect ears and focus glare of an enormous cat. Daylight elucidates a large, motionless form the color and pattern of autumn wood. The bane of the songbird world; uproarious commotion and agitated notes erupt upon the disclosure of this ominous carnivore. Face set within a slowly swiveling turret, it’s stares down through narrow eyes of sleepy in difference. This look of calm and passivity is deceptive, for when dusk settles, this powerful figure moves forth into darkness to seize and spirit away prey, be it the size and gravity of a cat, or the insignificance of an annoying bird to hurls insert insults by day.
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My first owl, nothing could have prepared me for the sight of her! Hansen describes it so beautifully. When she opened her eyes-- with great indifference looking down at us, I was surprised to feel tears spilling down my cheeks... I am not sure if I imagined it, but I think she also unfurls a dark foot.... from beneath a thick hem of feathers...
What a majestic and awesome bird!
This all reminded me of my favorite book on owls, Wesley the Owl. I loved meeting the author when she visited our bookclub at Caltech.
My next dream is to see a baby barn owl!
From the Hidden Life of Owls:
“INSIGHTS FROM AN OWL › Keep only what is useful. Regurgitate the rest. › Be patient. Eventually something will move. › Learn through play. › Only one out of four or five tries yields a mouse. Never give up. › Accept help when it is offered. › Adapt to stay resilient. › Travel every four to six months. › Take time to sit and observe. › Death is a necessary ingredient in life. Accept the transformation. › Never foul your own nest. › Parenthood is temporary. › The Great Gray Owl does not see what the Great Horned Owl sees. Perspective is everything. › Withhold judgment. Nature does not take sides. › Where you live is not nearly as important as where you are alive.”
— The Hidden Lives of Owls: The Science and Spirit of Nature's Most Elusive Birds by Leigh Calvez
See Brain Pickings: Of Owls and Roses: Mary Oliver on Happiness, Terror, and the Sublime Interconnectedness of Life
“The world where the owl is endlessly hungry and endlessly on the hunt is the world in which I live too. There is only one world.”
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