Cozy Contemplations - 34. Chapter 34 Predator

27 minutes ago, Geron Kees said:

My experience with owls is that they respect humans and will not bother them unless nesting. Even then, it's mostly a fly-over, sort of telling you to get a move on, 'or else'. Owls are worthy of respect in return, and have a nobility about them often lacking in other birds. I think one of the reasons humans have always called them 'wise' is that we perceive their patience, which comes across as consideration, something most birds do not seem to possess. And, as you so well described, they are an awesome bird in flight, absolutely silent, and absolutely deadly to the small creatures they hunt with great skill. A close fly-by is definitely something to get your adrenaline pumping!

 

It certainly was adrenaline pumping. No sign of her since, and I'm kind of torn... I don't wanting her feasting on my barn cats/kittens, or maybe attacking my dog, but I would love for her to stick around in my woods. There are quite a few squirrels and chipmunks and turkeys on my property. There is also a family of foxes on the property to the east of me... the houses for that and the adjoining properties are on the road to the south, so it is a perfect habitat for so many critters... even bears from time to time, although I haven's seen or heard of one in recent years. Coyotes, on the other hand... they can be heard singing all around me most nights in the summer. Same goes for the other side of my road... all the houses are on the north end of those farms. In other words, I am surrounded by woods on both sides of my road. I read up on snowy owls, and I'm pretty sure it was a female because I remember the little black spots on it, like mottling. I always thought they were all white, but apparently that is the males... I also read the females were usually bigger, and she was freaking huge.  

If you have very small dogs that run loose, yes, I would be careful about that. Owls generally can't lift any animal much over five to seven pounds, but they will still attack them, and can seriously hurt them. Cats and kittens are even more at risk than dogs. An owl has some powerful (and sharp) talons. We have a small hound, but she's about 24 pounds and she is too big to be carried off. Nonetheless, we do not let her outside on her own, as we have wolves, coyotes, and bears to worry about. They generally stay well away from the house, but bears, especially, are very bold.

This is not to even mention raccoons and fisher cats (fairly good sized weasels), which are also dangerous to pets. And we have eagles and falcons, too, in addition to a number of different owl species. And, lastly, I have seen cougars in the woods with my own eyes, though the county denied for years that there were any around. Recently they have agreed that cougars are repopulating the area. So owls are kind of low on my wildlife radar.

My feeling is that your owl will stay to her normal hunting range as long as she is getting enough to eat. That one is something you'll need to play by ear. It would be a real shame to have to take her down, though.

14 minutes ago, Geron Kees said:

If you have very small dogs that run loose, yes, I would be careful about that. Owls generally can't lift any animal much over five to seven pounds, but they will still attack them, and can seriously hurt them. Cats and kittens are even more at risk than dogs. An owl has some powerful (and sharp) talons. We have a small hound, but she's about 24 pounds and she is too big to be carried off. Nonetheless, we do not let her outside on her own, as we have wolves, coyotes, and bears to worry about. They generally stay well away from the house, but bears, especially, are very bold.

This is not to even mention raccoons and fisher cats (fairly good sized weasels), which are also dangerous to pets. And we have eagles and falcons, too, in addition to a number of different owl species. And, lastly, I have seen cougars in the woods with my own eyes, though the county denied for years that there were any around. Recently they have agreed that cougars are repopulating the area. So owls are kind of low on my wildlife radar.

My feeling is that your owl will stay to her normal hunting range as long as she is getting enough to eat. That one is something you'll need to play by ear. It would be a real shame to have to take her down, though.

Oh, I could never take her down.   I'm just being really careful. My dog, a thirty-nine pound Border Collie, is never out by herself, but that owl looked like she was right on her when she came up on me. I read they can lift heavier animals and then drop them, and then go in for the kill and tear them up. We have lots of raccoons as well, and eagles and hawks, and I have barn cats disappear from time to time. I've never seen an eagle in my woods, though. The cats are well fed, but they still hunt out there all the time. 

Cougars? Man, I would crap myself if I ever came across one. Never heard of one around here, thankfully. I wonder if the owl was just passing through... many of them migrate from the Arctic around this time of year. I'm keeping my eyes peeled, but no other sign of her so far.  

Actually, the bears around here are more to be watched out for than the cougars. At least, so far. We were out biking in the woods one day back in the early fall, and came around a curve in the trail, and there was a small black bear right next to the path. I was in front, and stopped hard, and the person behind me just missed hitting me. The bear spent a long moment staring at us in the greatest of surprise before turning and taking off. That has been as close as I have gotten to a bear in a while. 

I was coming home from the office the other night, and a cougar ran across the road in my headlights, not five minutes from the house. We had been pretty sure we had seen them in the woods before that, at a distance, but there was no missing or mistaking this one! I called my friends and let them know about the positive ID. It makes you cautious to see things like this, certainly.

And yet, I wouldn't want to live anywhere else!

2 minutes ago, Geron Kees said:

Actually, the bears around here are more to be watched out for than the cougars. At least, so far. We were out biking in the woods one day back in the early fall, and came around a curve in the trail, and there was a small black bear right next to the path. I was in front, and stopped hard, and the person behind me just missed hitting me. The bear spent a long moment staring at us in the greatest of surprise before turning and taking off. That has been as close as I have gotten to a bear in a while. 

I was coming home from the office the other night, and a cougar ran across the road in my headlights, not five minutes from the house. We had been pretty sure we had seen them in the woods before that, at a distance, but there was no missing or mistaking this one! I called my friends and let them know about the positive ID. It makes you cautious to see things like this, certainly.

And yet, I wouldn't want to live anywhere else!

 

I know the feeling. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else either, and to be honest, it has cost me in my life. I keep my eye out for bears every time I go in the woods or walk down the road. I had two guys in a classic car pull into my driveway and tell me they had a bear stand up on the road in front of them, in broad daylight, and then run into my woods. I'm so glad they gave me the heads up, but that was years ago. The last sighting was a farmer who came out to find a bear on his dozer. He said he'd left some of his previous days lunch in the cab. That was three or four years... maybe five years ago. The back of his farm is a kilometer up the road from me. I know a farmer on the corner, a kilometer the other way, shot a bear that had mauled one of his calves. It didn't kill the calf, but it meant he was allowed to shoot it. They scare me, but I'm careful... and I don't mind their presence....  

14 hours ago, Headstall said:

I know the feeling. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else either, and to be honest, it has cost me in my life. I keep my eye out for bears every time I go in the woods or walk down the road. I had two guys in a classic car pull into my driveway and tell me they had a bear stand up on the road in front of them, in broad daylight, and then run into my woods. I'm so glad they gave me the heads up, but that was years ago. The last sighting was a farmer who came out to find a bear on his dozer. He said he'd left some of his previous days lunch in the cab. That was three or four years... maybe five years ago. The back of his farm is a kilometer up the road from me. I know a farmer on the corner, a kilometer the other way, shot a bear that had mauled one of his calves. It didn't kill the calf, but it meant he was allowed to shoot it. They scare me, but I'm careful... and I don't mind their presence....  

It's wise to be cautious of all wildlife. They have as much right to life as we do, and for the most part they are more wary of us than we are of them. But you can't count on them maintaining that distance, and so should never let your guard down. We very much enjoy our animal neighbors, but from a respectful distance, whenever it is possible.

1 hour ago, Geron Kees said:

It's wise to be cautious of all wildlife. They have as much right to life as we do, and for the most part they are more wary of us than we are of them. But you can't count on them maintaining that distance, and so should never let your guard down. We very much enjoy our animal neighbors, but from a respectful distance, whenever it is possible.

 

My sentiments exactly.   There were six wild turkeys on my property all summer... they're here in various numbers every year. They don't bother me, and I don't bother them.  

I haven't ever seen an owl upclose except in a zoo. I totally understood how you felt about the experience! Your words did such a great job of conveying your feelings! Thanks. 

17 minutes ago, JeffreyL said:

I haven't ever seen an owl upclose except in a zoo. I totally understood how you felt about the experience! Your words did such a great job of conveying your feelings! Thanks. 

Thanks, Jeffrey! It was an experience that has stayed with me. Every time I go out in my woods, I search the trees for her. She (I think it was a she) was beautiful, if rather frightening too.  

I've seen several snowy owls over the years, and this past summer, quite a few bald eagles. Yesterday, I saw my first barn owl in years since I was a kid. Owls are magnificent birds in all of their forms. Their flight feathers are shaped in such a way that air currents are broken into tiny micro-currents, which lets them fly without sound. Thanks for the poem, Gary! 

16 minutes ago, Page Scrawler said:

I've seen several snowy owls over the years, and this past summer, quite a few bald eagles. Yesterday, I saw my first barn owl in years since I was a kid. Owls are magnificent birds in all of their forms. Their flight feathers are shaped in such a way that air currents are broken into tiny micro-currents, which lets them fly without sound. Thanks for the poem, Gary! 

Glad you liked it... it was a powerful moment I will never forget. Thanks for reading, Page.  

Walks and hikes are great times to observe nature, but something like this is a truly amazing moment.  You captured it so wonderfully in your poem Gary.  Thanks for sharing this with us.

53 minutes ago, raven1 said:

Walks and hikes are great times to observe nature, but something like this is a truly amazing moment.  You captured it so wonderfully in your poem Gary.  Thanks for sharing this with us.

A lot of my poetry is inspired by nature. The smallest flower... or a patch of green competing with a blanket of snow... can move me to write, but the majesty of a snowy owl in the emerging light was a thrill hard to compare. Glad you felt the moment, and I thank you for reading and commenting, Terry.