Cruising along US Route 1 today, I spied a bundle on the edge of the road. As I passed I processed what it might be and my curiosity got the better of me. I turned around and headed back. It’s rare to see a bird on the edge of the road, but in this case, it was a small Barred Owl. My heart felt so heavy.
Over the past few weeks, there have been many owl sightings in this neck of the woods. Knowing my affinity for owls, friends have reported their sightings in Milbridge, Cutler, Columbia, and Harrington. Just yesterday, Hannah excitedly shared that as she and Paul drove home from ball practice, an owl swooped down and flew beside the truck with them for a short while before swooping up to rest on the power line. They’ve all been daytime/early evening sightings including my own sighting a couple of weeks ago.
Owls are so striking, yet elusive, teasing us with their “who-who, who-who” at night. Why so many owl sightings in such a short period? Are we simply becoming more aware of our surroundings? Is there a reason why the owls are on the move during the daylight? Are we seeing more owls because the population is growing? Or something else altogether?
I’d hoped the little owl on the side of the road was just injured, but she was dead. It appears as if she collided with a vehicle. Is it morbid to snap a picture? Maybe, but she was so beautiful that I wanted her to be remembered.
She should be remembered. She lived a life. I’m sad, but that’s a small price to pay for keeping awareness that they all matter.
AWWWW….So sorry to see such a beautiful creature gone……Very sad 🙁
It’s always sad to find a dead bird like that, but I also like taking that opportunity to get a close-up look –to touch, to see little details, to appreciate, and to give thanks to its Creator for such a creature. I’m glad you shared.
I’ve seen owls lately that I have never seen on the ranch before. Maybe I’m just more observant, I’m not sure.
Don’t know if it’s morbid or not, but I’m glad you stopped to see if she could be helped. A few years back my husband was on his way to go fishing and found an injured red tailed hawk in the road. He called me, I figured out where to take her, and the kids and I went on a road trip to get her to the nearest rehabilitator. A friend didn’t know why we bothered, since it was “just a bird.”
Hope the owl didn’t suffer. It is very difficult to see injured animals, especially when due to human influence. Thanks for sharing.
I am not good at leaving comments, but I do read and appreciate your stories, This one in particular is very touchy and sad, thank you for stopping and making sure that this beautiful owl wasn’t left injured on the road.