The winter of the ermine has become the winter of the owl.
That same barred owl has been hanging around and making more appearances. After we spotted it in our clearing last week, a friend snapped a photo of it devouring a squirrel in the field across the road from us. And then we saw it again yesterday at the yurt. It's amazing how the vertical bars on its chest enable it to blend into the grooves of the bark of the hardwood trees, the maple and poplar especially.
|
|
Annie observed, then, how it seems like every few months, or every season, a new creature becomes central to the yurt experience—where before it was the ermine, or the mice, or the rat, or the turkeys, or in summer my favorite the garter snake, now the owl.
I think, too, the presence of the owl bears a similarity to the ermine. Just as the ermine was attracted to the bounty of mice beneath the yurt, the owl, I presume, has been attracted to the abundance of red and gray squirrels that have been getting fat on our compost all winter.
The ermine has moved on, now that the mice are gone, and I guess the owl will move on as well once the squirrels are been turned into owl pellets.
Come to think of it, I've also not seen any rabbit tracks this winter...
Anyway, two bits of news:
- Here's a new blog post on animals/rodents and yurt life.
- Want to get a postcard each month from us? Want to get a longer monthly essay? We created a Patreon page for that. Click the button for deets.
|
|
As always, get in touch. We'd love to hear any feedback or questions!
Kevin + Annie + Henry + Holly + Frederick the Owl
|
|
|
|
