Owl Serenade

My husband nudged me awake last night at 3:30.

“Did you hear that?”

My sleep groggy brain struggled to consciousness. “What? A bugler? The fire alarm? Incoming missiles?”

“No…there!”

And I heard it: “Whoo HOO hoo oo! Whoo HOO hoo oo!”

And the response in a different tone, from a slightly different direction: “Whoo HOO hoo oo! Whoo HOO hoo oo!”

An owl. A great-horned owl. Two of them, actually, calling back and forth. I was glad my husband had awoken me.

I have seen very few owls in the wild, usually as they are flying away.

I know that they’re around because I occasionally find feathers. (https://amylawscigeek.com/2021/08/07/owl-wing-feather-adaptations/)

And I hear them, in the early morning hours. (https://amylawscigeek.com/2018/03/22/great-horned-owls-laying-eggs/)

Owls are courting now, and looking for old red-tailed hawk, crow or magpie nests in which to lay their eggs next month. The owlets will hatch out in March. I’d love to see some.

But in the meantime, my husband and I fell back asleep, serenaded by Great Horned Owls.