Owl-less Midnight

Just came in from walking The Dog. He’s a little out of sorts because his pack leader (a.k.a. Kate) is away for the night at a salmon/watershed institute for teachers (I’m so envious of her).

Anyway, the walk: Very quiet tonight. Cloudy, so no moon. Still, barely a breath of breeze. And unlike some summers past, not a single hint of owls in the vicinity.

We were spoiled two years ago by a nesting pair of barn owls that set up housekeeping in a big Canary Island palm a couple blocks away. There were four chicks who carried on incessantly as both parents hunted the neighborhood and beyond to feed the hungry brood. I thought at the time, or hoped in any case, that we’d hear and see those birds again.

Over the winter we heard barn owls nearby. But this spring and summer, the neighborhood’s fallen silent at night. I hope those birds are hunting somewhere. Maybe they can come back sometime and run some night-time raids on the crows, who have taken over the daylight hours here.

One Reply to “Owl-less Midnight”

  1. Crow: Don’t get me started. Our modern developed landscapes seem to tilt to their advantage. Big flock(s) in our neighborhood. I’ve been watching them. I was charmed one day to observe one breaking up food and feeding the small pieces to another, all this taking place atop a street lamp. It wasn’t an adult feeding a baby, either. It was a couple. That was interesting. But they are so aggressive and loud and successful. It is nice to see them foiled. The other day I was sitting on the porch, lacing up the running shoes, and a crow set about to harass a hapless brown squirrel who had had the audacity to pick up some scrap of food. The crows chased the squirrel down the utility line, diving at him, but Mr. Squirrel (for whom I was rooting) dove into a big tree. The crow followed but only briefly as the squirrel crashed onward.

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