"Oh, to have the eyes -- and the wisdom of a Spotted Owl!"
Dear Fellow Earthlings,
On January 7, 2024, at 4 a.m. I saw a Northern Spotted Owl on Reltonia! I had gotten up early to go and check my mailbox, for I had failed to check it for mail the day before. Just as I reached the head of my southern driveway (which is about 30 feet from my mailbox), the headlights of my car locked onto the huge eyes of a male Northern Spotted Owl perched on a fencepost some 5 feet to the left of my mailbox.
He was mesmerized by the car's headlights. And I was totally mesmerized by the owl's huge eyes. I did not have my iPhone with me. So I was unable to capture the scene with that device....
Therefore, let me describe it in words.
I knew that it was pointless to establish eye contact with the owl, for the glare from the headlights prevented him from seeing me (Steve Walker). I shut the headlights off for an instant in order to allow him to recover his composure. After all, he had been in near total darkness when suddenly bright lights had thrown his senses into disarray.
It had all happened to him so quickly. As soon as the bright lights went off, he turned his head to his right about 30 degrees and then pivoted in that direction as he took flight, his mothlike, fluffy wings moving him silently into a slow ascent in a northeasterly direction, toward Reltonia's lower forested area.
Quickly switching the headlights on again, I was able to discern the owl disappear into the morning mist...
I quickly returned to the house and woke my wife up to tell her what had just occurred. She noted that what I said to her had painted my experience in her mind's eye:
"I just saw a n o r th e r n sp o tt e d O W L !"
Now, more than ever, I am determined to make Reltonia a sanctuary and a breeding center for the Northern Spotted Owl.
I wonder if the owl I saw has a mate? If he does, I wonder which tree is providing the pair with a proper hole for their nest? Right at the upper northeastern corner of Reltonia are two Grand Firs, each about 75 feet high and with crowns that may very well have some properly decayed holes that could prove to be a haven, a place to raise some owlets.
There are plenty of small rodents in the area -- as well as bats, which Northern Spotted Owls also deem palatable.
In 2024 I will be making a concerted effort to help make Reltonia a safe haven for the Northern Spotted Owl!
Take a look at the photos accompanying this installment, please. The Northern Spotted Owl shown is not the one I saw on the morning of January 7th of this year -- but does bear a strong resemblance to it. As for the other set of eyes, those are my own, filled so much with the wonder of my Northern Spotted Owl experience that I almost feel I could rise gently and silently into the morning sky to join that fellow living Earth creature in flight!
A good omen for 2024. Where there are Northern Spotted Owls, there is tranquility, balance, wisdom, life -- and LOVE!!!
Steve Walker
Earthsaver and Jingles Creator
© 2013 Steve Walker, The Jingles-The Japan Foundation for English Pronunciation, Summit Enterprises.