Owls!

I've been reading from a book titled, What an Owl Knows by Jennifer Ackerman. It was gifted to me by my husband because of my growing love for owls. I don't take it for granted that owls live in our neighborhood. In fact, each evening as the sun sets, I step outside and say, "Hello, owls! I love you," then stay still and listen for their calls back and forth between mates. Sometimes I'm blessed with a silent swoop and fly over. Okay, now imagine my shock when one day in early November an owl spoke back, "Hello!" it said, which caused me to question my sanity. 

Then it happened again. And once more. Then a flock of noisy Canadian geese flew overhead and broke the trance. But the voice in the tree I'd heard? It mimicked the sounds of the geese, took flight from a nearby tree. It was an owl!

Well, I texted my precious soul sisters, Kate and Molly, then the next day, got busy researching owls and mimicry. I found my answer. It was an adolescent eastern screech owl, known at that age to be highly experimental with their vocalizations - learning how to lure in potential prey by sounding like kin - and this one was practicing. The event made me fall even deeper in love with these awesome birds.

They deserve this dedicated episode. If you're still not certain...while researching, I found this passage from The Owl Pages online and couldn't fashion a better introduction to this subject than what writer, Deane Lewis wrote;

"Throughout history and across many cultures, people have regarded Owls with fascination and awe. Few other creatures have so many different and contradictory beliefs about them. Owls have been both feared and venerated, despised and admired, considered wise and foolish, and associated with witchcraft and medicine, the weather, birth and death. Speculation about Owls began in earliest folklore, too long ago to date, but passed down by word of mouth over generations."

I have the good luck to have regular visits from a few different species of owls, and they have delighted, surprised and mystified me this last year. I'll share one story at the close. 

Let's get into it!

Show Reading/Viewing List:

What an Owl Knows, Jennifer Ackerman on Amazon.com

Parliament of Owls - Myths of Owls in the Southwest, C

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