Owls

Over the past three months I have had a few great owl sightings. I think there is a pair that lives near the farm, I see one of them frequently at dusk when I go out to close the chickens in for the night. The sightings started in the early fall. One late afternoon, just as the light was failing, I saw one out of the corner of my eye landing on top of a gourd trellis in the middle of our fields. It was a pretty big owl, which is why I think there is a pair because the one I see more often is smaller. It stayed there briefly and then flew low to the ground to another perch in the orchard. I was awed. It was the first time I had seen such a large owl in flight and close up. The next sighting was a little more ominous. At the time the chickens were staying in their chicken tractor in the orchard. At the end of the day there were two hens and a rooster still outside the fence, desperately wanting to get back in. I assumed they were so upset because it was getting dark and they were too fat to fit back through the holes in the fence. But I think they knew something I didn't. After I picked each one of the chickens up and put them over the fence I climbed over and closed the door to their house on wheels. As I turned away from the tractor to check on their food and water, I turned towards an apple tree which was inside the temporary chicken yard. My eyes went immediately to the top of the tree where sat an owl which took flight the instant that our eyes met. It flew back over my shoulder and whirled me around to see it fly up into another tree across the driveway. I have since seen what I think is that same owl perched a top a very tall skinny tree which overlooks nicely the yard around my new chicken coop. Since the chickens started using the new coop I have seen it at least half of the time when I close the chickens in at dusk. Maybe it has already eaten one of my chickens, I did lose five this summer to unknown causes. But I haven't lost any since they have been living in the straw bale coop. Maybe the owl isn't interested in the chickens anymore and has unknown motives. Tonight I certainly thought it did.

Today it started raining around 11:30. It turned to heavy snow around 12:30 and kept going all afternoon until the sun went down. This prompted me to extend my evening stroll to include a trip past the orchard, the long way to the chicken coop. As I walked onto the driveway next to the orchard I heard my owl friend let out a screech. It came from the distance and I couldn't place its location at first. As I continued walking, the tree that it normally perches in came into focus through the fading, grey light. Fat snow flakes were falling straight down and sticking to the ground in big clumps. This owls favorite tree is ghostly. The maximum diameter of the tree from edge to edge is no more than four or five feet but it stretches forty feet into the air. Its branches writhe straight upward like long slender flames and the whole tree looks like it is the fossil of a column of fire frozen in time. It sits in a field away from all the other trees and with the dim light and heavy snow, tonight it looked like erie faded black brush strokes on a grey canvas. The owl sat at the very top of the tree. The part of the tree where the branches are so sparse that from my distance it looked like the owl was hovering motionless in the air just above the tree. It continued to screech. Then it flew over to the very top of the cottonwood that I was walking towards. They are big, broad birds and are majestic in flight. My owl friend moves quick and despite its size somehow manages to land and perch gracefully on the highest, smallest branches in its chosen tree.

Just before this all happened I was thinking about how much more time I spend outside as a farmer. Not just more time, but more time paying attention to the world around me. I used to think that mother natures greatest wonders only still existed deep in the last few untouched wilderness areas of the world but I'm seeing more and more of them everyday in my backyard. I guess it helps when your backyard is in northern New Mexico. It also helps when you open your eyes and look up.