Birds

Life Lessons and Barred Owlets

Thomas Moore

24 May 2024 — 1 min read

One recent evening I was witness to a hunting class.

We have a pair of Barred Owls living close to our house and they recently had a couple of babies. As dusk settled into night, the two owlets and an adult began their class.

The little owlets acted almost the exact opposite of how owls should act. They hop awkwardly from limb to limb. They bobs their heads. They crash here and there. This in contrast to the adult who is practically silent in flight and stock still when perched—entirely confident in its place near the top of the food chain.

An owlet spots a squirrel six feet above. The owl hops, bobs, and crashes upward. The squirrel seems entirely unbothered.

Another fluff attempts a landing and completely mistimes its approach. It glances a branch and then dives down. The adult perched some height above the fracas and watches with seemingly detached interest.

I don’t think these babies will go hungry, but they will at least get the taste of hunger before the adult steps in

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the smallest sprout

On Returns and Big Ideas

Shrugging off the Listlessness of Summer

The Uncertainty of Bird Watching