Member-only story
A BIG GUY COMES CALLING
An Unexpected Visitor
I was not expecting the company
Aside from the occasional skunk, I am alone with my thoughts while ambling around our yard in the pre-dawn dark, filling bird feeders.
My thoughts were interrupted by a deep, gruff-sounding Hoo, hoo hoot. The sound seemed to be behind me. Whipping around, I saw only large oak trees, the skeleton of a swing set that now hosts a climbing vine small birds use for shelter, and bird feeders on their poles. Scanning the upper branches of the oaks yielded nothing.
More hoots echoed across the yard, moving away. The only owl that issues a deep hoot is the Great horned owl. I was thrilled and sad as it dawned on me that this large creature likely devoured our wild rabbits and probably reduced our squirrel population.
Barred owls frequent our yard, hunting for rodents. They are vocal in their displeasure when their hunting is interrupted. One annoyed owl used to swoop down, grazing our heads with its talons as we tried to toss trash into the barrels by the shed.
The other day, stepping out in the predawn darkness to fill the bird feeders and dump out the water bowls muddied by raccoon paws, I saw movement behind the shed. A skunk or perhaps a late-feeding raccoon?
