August 12, 2014

Slice of Life | Owls


Barred Owls on the Ridge


Saturday, August 2

I had been up early and then fell asleep on the couch.

A strange sound outside stirred me.

As the day unfolded, I forgot about it.

Tonight, as it was getting dark, the sound came back over and over.

I was a little leery about figuring out what it was!

Finally, I got Jim to come to the porch.

To our right, there were two owls sitting on the basketball hoop.

A third was to our left in the trees.

They sat there and appeared to just be looking at us from the hoop.

I kept saying, "Jim, they're looking at us!"

His reply, "It's probably because you are freaking out!"

I was a little scared and excited!

(My dad had just shared some old stories about Grammie's superstitions with birds years ago...and told of stories that came true. So I called him saying, "Oh my goodness! What do THREE owls mean?"  He laughed!)

We watched them sit and fly around the front yard.

Eventually, they flew into the big trees across the road.

We thought they were gone and settled down to watch television. 

They came back!

And they are still here hours later making their sounds and flying around in the dark!

We discovered our owls are barred owls. From what we read, they are fledglings. The sound they make is exactly like the fledgling begging call on All About Birds.

It was amazing to see three owls just beyond our screen door.




18 comments:

  1. What an amazing event! I love owls. We once lived near a large stand of trees and could often hear the owls, but alas the neighbor at the time cleared the trees and that was that. Since moving to Vermont, I have seen a few, along with foxes, and turkeys by the dozen, but none up close like this! So cool!

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    1. Thanks for being here, Julie! Your home in Vermont looks and sounds amazing. I was just looking at photos on your blog.

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  2. Oh I would have been so scared too!! Birds are one of my irrational fears. I'm glad you got the opportunity to enjoy these owls. It is such a cool story! :)

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    1. Phew! It was such a strange sound...not a hoot at all...like a screech...I didn't know what we were going to find! And what we found (so close) was very unexpected! It was quite an adventure! Ha-ha!

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  3. I was laying in bed the other morning and heard two owls in my yard too! We have lived here 12 years and I have never heard or seen owls. I can completely relate to your excitement!

    Jennifer
    Sweet Writing Life
    Mrs. Laffin's Laughings

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  4. How wonderful this is, Loralee. I have a special memory of sitting in the dark at a family member's home in the country, waiting for the Great Horned Owl to come out hunting. So happy you persisted in finding out what the sound was-a real gift I think!

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    1. A Great Horned Owl must have been amazing to see!
      We were experiencing many feelings in my family that day and after my shock of owls so close, it was a gift to see something so rare and beautiful. God's creations are magnificent.

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  5. How cool! What an amazing sight and sound for you! I love the unexpectedness of nature, especially when it comes to your back door.

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  6. Such unexpected and memorable guests in your yard. It's good you didn't hide when you heard the scary sounds but ventured out to discover the source.

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    1. The sound was strange...I was asking, "Is it a bat?"..."Is it a snake?"...Much laughing in response to that one! :0)

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  7. What a gift the owls have given you!. I checked my Animal Cards....and here is the message that Owl might be giving you. "Honor intuition. Use discernment. Outsmart deception. Trust your first impressions. :-) Jackie http://familytrove.blogspot.com/

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  8. I'm thinking Harry Potter. How exciting to take on owls. I wish I had a few here. Send one my way, okay?

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  9. We have had owls in our neighborhood this summer too. We would be sitting ion the porch and hear the robins start going crazy - the owls were out! So fun to watch but scary when the swoop down toward you! Yikes! My kids immediately thought of Harry Potter too!

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  10. That is so cool! A few years back a barred owl hung out in the woods in the back of our house. I took a picture. He/she did not make a sound. Having three together must have been amazing. Thanks for sharing.

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  11. Wow - so cool! I think it's amazing and reminds me of one of my favorite picture books "Owl Moon" by Jane Yolen where they only hope to see an owl ... and here you have three owls! Great picture.

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  12. Thank you for all the wonderful comments! I enjoy hearing your connections!

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