A Love Story in the Treetops!

Once upon a time on the Bayou, an owl decided that all of that nighttime business was a bunch of hooey.  Why should any bird spend its nights hunting and hooting?  Wouldn't it be better to be out and about during the daylight hours?  Miss Owl decided to make a change and not be a "night" owl any longer.  She was bound and determined to become a "day" owl!  It was rough at first.  Try as she might, she could not keep her eyes open in the brightness of the day.  By mid morning, she would be nodding off in a deep slumber. But soon, following the old adage of "Early to bed and early to rise", she became adept at being wide-eyed and bushy tailed even into mid afternoon!  She now had become a full-fledged "day" owl!

My goodness!  There was so much to see during the daylight hours!  She saw the sunrise up over the horizon.  She saw the ducks swimming out on the Bay.  She saw the dog chasing her ball.  She, also, saw the Bayou Lady hanging clothes on the line.  She watched the lady with great interest.  When the Bayou Lady decided to wander about the garden, the owl flew from tree to tree just so she could see her every move. This owl was definitely liking her decision to become a day owl!  Still, she missed the other owls.  At night, she could hear their hooting.  She would try to communicate with them but she was just too tired to give a hoot!  (heehee..sorry, I couldn't help that!)  She thought perhaps her daytime activities needed to be curtailed a bit so she would not be so sleepy at night.  Miss Owl started taking longer naps during the day.  The blue jays and blackbirds harassed her and kept her awake.  Hoping to find a quiet place to sleep, she came closer and closer to where the Bayou Lady worked.  Sure enough, the other birds abandoned their chase and let her rest.  She snoozed while the Bayou Lady pulled weeds from the basil. Later that evening, when she heard another owl start hooting, she was rested enough to call back.  The other owl came closer and closer.  Soon they were in the same tree!  Ahh..friendship..and maybe more!  The rest of this story need not be told.  The owls are happily hooting in the old hickory tree just outside the window!

I thought it was a tad strange when I saw the young owl flying about the yard during the early morning hours. Then for the next week or so, the owl seemed to delight in following my every move.  If I wandered outside, I could usually spot the owl in a matter of minutes.  This kept up for about ten days..then, no more.  Once I lost sight of the owl during the daytime hours, I could hear one in the tree just outside of my window.  Every night, this owl would hoot and chitter endlessly.  Then one night from far down in the creek, I heard another. This was a much deeper hoot than the owl outside the window. That owl drew closer and closer until both were near.  There were a lot of squawks and chittering for several evenings.  Now, it is quiet again.  I am assuming that the two will be soon searching out a nesting spot.  Since most hawks and ospreys nest during the summer months, the owls will most likely occupy one of their abandoned nests in a few months.  The Great Horned Owls nest in January or February and usually take over a nest that was built by another bird. Occasionally, they will use a squirrel's nest with a few modifications.  I am hoping that this pair will nest somewhere close!  I love hearing them at night.  There is just something comforting about listening to a couple of old hoot owls!