Wednesday night Chris and I watched “Owl Power” on PBS. We loved it, and Thursday night I sent an email to my friend Jeanne C. (nickname: Birdwoman) to ask if she had seen the show. Of course she had. Friday morning, a little before sunrise, I saw the shadow of a large bird fly past the window. I looked out to see a huge owl land on our neighbor’s arbor. For many years we have heard a Great Horned Owl “hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo” in the backyard, but have never seen it. I think this owl may have been even bigger, maybe a Great Gray Owl, because the bird I saw did not seem to have any “ears” like the Great Horned Owl.
The owl perched on the arbor for several minutes and then swooped down to the ground. She/he sat in the snow next to some bushes for a few more moments, maybe watching for mice or voles, then lifted into the air.
This felt like a blessing to me and to Chris. He has been researching “owl boxes” and we are thinking of putting one up this spring to attract even more beautiful ghost birds.