Becoming Hoot Owl
I am living, but I do not feel alive. I am the sole inhabitant of my world. My space is dark, and I am contained within hard, round walls. Somehow I have been able to grow in this world, but soon I fear I will grow to big for it. In fact, my prison walls are starting to crack. I am starting to hear sounds. One sound in particular, a long Òhooooooooo-awÓ call provides me comfort and makes me feel warm. [i] As the walls of my world continue to shatter, I begin to feel more warmth from that mysterious caller. I get a sense that there is more beyond what I have known for my whole existence, and I have decided that I must push the boundaries of my habitat. Craaaaaaack! I am free! I am in a whole new world and am greeted by one who I know must be my protector—my mother.
1Three barred owl
eggs in a nest.
The three of us, my mother, brother and I, live in seclusion within a hollow tree trunk. Now that I finally have sight, I can see that my mother is amazingly beautiful with her long feathers and big, brown eyes. My brother and I feel excessively ugly with our milky fluff and cloudy eyes. Mother leaves us right before dark to find us food. She brings us the most delicious meals, made of these creatures with fur and long tails. Sometimes, if the weather is rough and she cannot hunt as well she brings us a meal consisting of creatures that look as though they could be related to us.[ii]
2Barred owl chicks.
I feel that brother and I are becoming closer to being more like mother with every day that passes. I have a feeling that soon we might learn how to hunt for our own meals. Mother still has to keep an eye on us because we are still small and could become some bigger creatureÕs dinner. Mother has let us start leaving our home to see the wooded world around us. We cannot fly beautifully like mother, but brother and I are able to go down to the forest ground and then scale up the trunk of our tree to our home in less than a minute. This exercise has taught us to flap our wings and strengthens our beak and talons. [iii]
Watch
Video
Barred owl chick climbing to safety at a
park in Surrey BC
Duration: (0:56)
User: andyprent - Added: 6/14/12
YouTube URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zugStlmCQ4s
I caught my first snack! I hunted this funny looking creature that was hopping around in the grass on the forrest floor. I carefully perched on a branch of my home tree and then pounced on my snack while it rested in the grass. I had the upper hand with my eyes that are meant to see well in the dark. My snack was so rewarding with its crunchy exterior and juicy interior. My brother is incredibly jealous that I caught something before him. Luckily, mother still provides us with dinner because my one snack is the only thing I have been able to catch. [iv]
3Barred
owl hunted a crawfish (could not find an image of one eating a grasshopper).
It has been so hot for many days, but now it is starting to get cool. Father is now here with us—he is truly only here to be with mother because it is time for brother and I to migrate from our home. My brother looks so much like my father and I believe I now look like my mother. We feel restless to get away from here, our parents, and each other. We are going to leave on the same day but not go the same direction. I am going to go south of the river and he plans to go north. We do not plan to go far from the only area we know, but it will probably be far enough to mean that we will never see each other or our parents again. I am going to miss all of them; they have taught me everything. Leaving our home is going to be dangerous and scary, but I am ready to take my chances and let my wings fly me on to the rest of my life! I am now a proud, beautiful Hoot Owl.
4Barred owl about to leave nest.
I wish I could be as wise and majestic as the barred (hoot) owl. Hearing the resonating calls of barred owls was a common occurrence for me, growing up in rural East Texas. Maybe if I had listened more carefully to the owls, I would have learned some childhood lessons. Now my heart and mind are open to learning anything that these owls have to teach me. I believe the barred owls can teach me lessons about relationships, how to handle difficult peers, and also pros and cons of lifestyle choices.
It is believed that barred owls participate in permanent pair bonding—meaning they mate for life. I feel that idea of being faithful to oneÕs mate has bee lost in our modern society. In the near future, I will be getting married to a man who I desire to be my mate for life. I would like my relationship to be similar to one between two barred owls. It is a relationship that starts off with a wintertime courtship then leads to deciding to spend the rest of their lives with one another and find a nest, or home, together. The owl pair takes care of each other. They have a lot of respect and affection for one another, which is shown in their affectionate pecks and snuggling. The main lesson that I feel I can learn from a barred owlÕs romantic relationship is realizing how important it is to respect oneÕs partner. It is important to learn to consult with one another when making huge decisions such as finding a house that a couple wants to buy in order to start their lives and family together. The type of communication seen between two barred owls is what I feel I, and everyone, should have with their partner, in order to stay ÒmatesÓ for life. I can learn from a barred owl how to be open and fair or equal with my partner. [v]
Barred owls can potentially have difficult or fatal interactions with owl species bigger than their own. However, barred owls are usually clever on how to deal with these types of situations an have solutions in which no one actually gets hurt. The most aggressive owl species, the great horned owl, loves to pick on, or sometimes eat, owl species smaller than their own. Luckily, barred owls have learned a clever way to deal with their larger owl counterpart. They can coexist peacefully in the same forests as horned owls as long as they use Òhabitats less frequented by the great horned owl.Ó[vi] Meaning, the barred owl gets what it needs while staying out of the other owlÕs way. The lesson that I can learn from the barred owlÕs situation is one of being able to deal with people who have more power than me and could potentially hurt me. Like the barred owl, I must learn that if I try to fight with those who bully me, I will ultimately lose and be worse off than I was before. I must form an understanding with bullies by not taking what they want but still getting what I need. I must always be aware that there will be those who might be able to dominate me, but I have the resources to survive and even outsmart them. This kind of mentality is crucial for someone who would like to be a leader, because a leader needs to know how to deal with bullies without becoming the bully.
If I want to be a successful leader, I need to avoid making the barred owlÕs lifestyle choices. They are very lethargic creatures and do not like change in their lives. I feel that being open to change is important to being a thriving leader. I identify with the barred owlÕs desires to settle down in one place and only have a few friends. I have had to work hard to make sure that I am not always staying at home or not making new friends. In no way do I wish to mirror the gluttony of the barred owl that ate Ò55 English sparrowsÓ in less than a week.[vii] Going to new places and making new connections is crucial to growing as a person and leader. I would like to eliminate the lethargic and sedentary lifestyle traits of the barred owl from my life. However, I would not mind being able to function as a true nocturnal creature. I could still transform lives for the benefit of society if I worked by the time shift of a barred owl.
The more I learn about barred owls, the more I feel a bond growing with them. They can teach me positive lessons about relationships with others and I can learn from negative aspects of their lifestyle. The barred owl represents my soaring spirit that is eager and hungry for knowledge. I hope this beautiful species continues to be a mentor and leader in my life, for many nights to come.
5 My owl spirit!
_
Image Citations
1"Great View".
2010. Photograph. NestCam Archives, Charlotte, NC. Web.
<http://warbler.ornith.cornell.edu/nest-cam-highlights/2010/NC_BaOw/Cam12.20100329_155230_sent_in_by_host.jpg>.
2Ardley, Ted. Barred
Owl Chicks. 2010. Photograph. Victoria, BC. Web.
<http://www.flickr.com/photos/18911028@N00/4686658017>.
3The Cornell Lab,
<http://www.birds.cornell.edu/ivory/pastsearches/0607season/0607images/BarredOwl_Banfield_SC.jpg>.
4 The Duncraft Wild Bird
Blog, < http://blog.duncraft.com/2010/01/08/barred-owls/>.
5< http://www.spiritalchemy.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/BarredOwl.jpg>.
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