This guy is very close looking to the one I saw. Last night was dark. The moon was at half measure and no light shone from any house window along the drive home. I’d worked late and although driven to scratch things off the list, sleep fog was rolling in and the yawns had started.
It was cold outside, not enough for frost on the windshield, but I zipped my thin shell to the chin and hustled the pups into the chilly car. The nip in the air implied the death of summer making way for the birth of fall.
Four houses before my driveway, I spied an owl along the right side of the road. It was just sitting there and it was so out of the ordinary, I thought maybe it was injured, possibly hit by a car? As I turned in the next driveway I was mentally wrapping the bird with a blanket for a midnight trek to Hope For Wildlife in Dartmouth. I have lots of blankets in the car but no box. My pups would have lost their minds barking, but I would have dropped them off at home and headed out into the night with my ward, doing whatever was necessary to save the little fellow.
He was still sitting along the road when I returned to the spot, so I crossed the yellow line, pulled in front of him and dimmed the lights. We stared at one another for a few moments, as I worked out a plan for capture. I was more than a little apprehensive about the claws as I sat with the car idling. Mr. Owl broke eye contact first and flew a few feet to the left. I thought maybe he was having trouble but then he soared up and away. I was impressed by the size of the legs and talons that hung down from his body, large and seemingly out of proportion but designed to snatch small mammals from the ground. I probably interrupted a kill, maybe a mouse or a grand mole is feeling pretty lucky right now. So much life and death happening while we sleep, a whole world of nocturnal activity.
I've never seen a real owl. He was magnificent, a light brown or brown/grey if the car lights illuminated him properly and those big beautiful eyes built for spotting small creatures scurrying about the night landscape. I wished I had my camera with me; opportunities like this come along maybe once in a life time....I've gone 55 years without seeing one so it can’t be that common, at least not in a town situation. In my backyard, I hear hooting in the nights and see them on television but never in the flesh, or in this case, the feathers.
So I turned the car around and drove home marveling over the experience. I phoned hubby and he asked if the guy had ears or not and quite frankly his eyes had been so amazing I hadn't noticed. If I had to swear, I would have to say no on the ears, but whatever the breed, he was amazing and so was the experience.
So this gave me the idea to design an owl pattern to commemorate the chance happening and cement the memory. Stay tuned for "Hooters"!
It was cold outside, not enough for frost on the windshield, but I zipped my thin shell to the chin and hustled the pups into the chilly car. The nip in the air implied the death of summer making way for the birth of fall.
Four houses before my driveway, I spied an owl along the right side of the road. It was just sitting there and it was so out of the ordinary, I thought maybe it was injured, possibly hit by a car? As I turned in the next driveway I was mentally wrapping the bird with a blanket for a midnight trek to Hope For Wildlife in Dartmouth. I have lots of blankets in the car but no box. My pups would have lost their minds barking, but I would have dropped them off at home and headed out into the night with my ward, doing whatever was necessary to save the little fellow.
He was still sitting along the road when I returned to the spot, so I crossed the yellow line, pulled in front of him and dimmed the lights. We stared at one another for a few moments, as I worked out a plan for capture. I was more than a little apprehensive about the claws as I sat with the car idling. Mr. Owl broke eye contact first and flew a few feet to the left. I thought maybe he was having trouble but then he soared up and away. I was impressed by the size of the legs and talons that hung down from his body, large and seemingly out of proportion but designed to snatch small mammals from the ground. I probably interrupted a kill, maybe a mouse or a grand mole is feeling pretty lucky right now. So much life and death happening while we sleep, a whole world of nocturnal activity.
I've never seen a real owl. He was magnificent, a light brown or brown/grey if the car lights illuminated him properly and those big beautiful eyes built for spotting small creatures scurrying about the night landscape. I wished I had my camera with me; opportunities like this come along maybe once in a life time....I've gone 55 years without seeing one so it can’t be that common, at least not in a town situation. In my backyard, I hear hooting in the nights and see them on television but never in the flesh, or in this case, the feathers.
So I turned the car around and drove home marveling over the experience. I phoned hubby and he asked if the guy had ears or not and quite frankly his eyes had been so amazing I hadn't noticed. If I had to swear, I would have to say no on the ears, but whatever the breed, he was amazing and so was the experience.
So this gave me the idea to design an owl pattern to commemorate the chance happening and cement the memory. Stay tuned for "Hooters"!
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