Wednesday, March 5, 2014

SPOTTED EAGLE OWL: Update - Day 5

We have had so much rain in the past three days.  Rivers are flowing heavily, parks have turned into swamps and everything is soaked to the extreme. Someone even asked me if I had a copy of the book: 'ARK FOR DUMMIES'.  It really is extremely wet and the forecast is for more rain.  

Our resident OWL has been sitting on her perch while the heavens have opened.  She remains unperturbed by the rain and sits and sleeps while large drops slide off her feathers. 

At dusk, she carefully prepares her feathers, her talons and stretches her wings.  After surveying the environment, she finally takes off and glides through the air to the parapet of our house.  After a short while, she takes off towards my neighbour's roof and from there disappears into the green belt.  There she'll hunt for insects, beetles, frogs, reptiles and rodents.  Her night-time vision equips her for swift, silent hunting....one of God's amazing creations!

When she disappears in the evening, I wonder if it is the last I'll see of this beautiful creature. There are no guarantees in life and it's important to make the most of every minute.  So far, we've been so blessed with five days of OWL in our midst.  Each morning, I rush to the window - hoping for another day with her.

Having spent five days in her company, I've come to realise that owls can indeed have different expressions.  Take a look: 


Although the OWL BOX has been installed, OWL has chosen to remain on her favoured perch and to soak up the rain.  The lighting isn't the best for photos, but I've managed to get a few nice ones (I think).  Let's simply let the pictures do the talking:




 Every afternoon, the Grey-Louries create a huge racket because of the presence of Owl. 
OWL keeps an eye on them, but mostly ignores them. They are no threat for her -
they are just loud-mouths!
For the moment, the OWL HOUSE remains unoccupied.


 Another feathered visitor: Rameron Pigeon (The largest pigeon resident in Johannesburg)
 I love the doves too...
 Lexi says that she is also a resident...don't forget!
Owl keeps a close watch, but doesn't seem to mind the dogs.
  
It appears that OWL is happy to sleep off the wet weather here in our garden.

OWL WISDOM:
1. Sleep in the rain
2. Ignore irritating, loud-mouthed fruit and seed-eaters
3. Scowl at humans
4. Party the night away!
5. Take time out from your mate
6. Keep the humans guessing when they try to organise your accommodation.
7. Remain aloof...always!

Sending lotsaluv


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