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Written by Annie from Canetoad on 2024-12-02 at 23:55

On the day before I tested positive for The Plague, I took a stroll in our local nature preserve.

I walked into the preserve for about half an hour, saw a LOT of bear poop, and decided it might be wise to head back the other way.

As I was walking back, I thought to myself, "Huh, sure is quiet now. Not much bird chatter."

I no sooner had that thought then an enormous and beautiful Barred Owl swooped silently through the trees ahead of me on the trail, from right to left.

How do they DO that, fly so SILENTLY? (Yes, I know, it's due to their novel wing and feather design; hush, and let's just marvel for a moment, shall we.)

They perched facing away from me in a bare oak, then swiveled their head all the way around backwards to keep an eye on me. Like they do.

We both stood still and regarded each other for several minutes.

At last, a clueless songbird went dipping and fluttering past, too quick to identify. As it neared the owl, the owl gave a mighty shrug and fluffed its wings away from its body momentarily. The songbird startled in midair and made a sharp right-hand turn away from the owl. You could almost hear their little bird-brakes squealing.

I laughed out loud, shattering the moment.

As I resumed my walking, the Barred Owl kept their gaze locked on me. I was glad to be much larger than a songbird.

[#]birds #storytelling #vermont

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