I’d like to brag that I’m so good at owl-tracking now that I immediately pick up on subtle environmental cues and know when one of my birds is around. But alas, the truth is that I’m obsessed, and I look for them constantly, and sometimes I get a lucky break. Which has happened twice this week, and I feel super-lucky!
On Monday, Henrietta was parked at the end of my yard. She literally turned her back to me so I got the point that she was ignoring me. Then she flew to my neighbor’s yard and started glaring at the ground, so I think she was shopping for dinner.
Again, I can’t take credit for having noticed in advance, but after watching Henrietta for a while I did notice that the robins were freaking! out! again. I just don’t care about the robins, so I never notice when they’re freaking out. I need to add that to my list of things to think about, and maybe I’ll spot owls more.
Yesterday when I got home I looked, as I always do, up at the branch I named Henrietta’s Favorite Shady Spot last summer. And there was Henrietta. She was sort of snoozy and it felt just like old times as she watched me with half of one eye and napped with the other 3/4 eyes. I took a million pictures and got exactly one good one.
I stood there for a while quietly, which is hard for me, because what I really want to do is explain to this stupid bird about how the internet says she can breed through August and she should TRY AGAIN! But we just watched each other for a while. Eventually she seemed to wake up, shook herself off a little, and said HOOAW twice. I got one on camera.
Then she pretty obviously heard a response and started looking pointedly off to the north. I decided it was a good time to head inside, because we all know how much Ecks likes me, and if they were going to have a hot date I didn’t want to bust it up.
Sigh.