Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems. ~Rainer Maria Rilke

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Sunday Visitor

It was a typical Sunday morning around here.
We were relaxing... on our second cup of coffee.
The dogs were getting a little bit more shut eye.
The Prospector called me from the kitchen.
"Hey, the owl is back."
He told me, a few days ago, that a small owl landed on the wicker rocking chair on the porch. I was shopping and missed the encounter. It didn't last long and the owl flew away.
The Prospector was so excited to see one up close. We have a barn owl in the shed at our entrance which we have seen for years but recently it has been gone. We hear owls at night. I love listening to them. But, to have one land on our porch in the middle of the day was extraordinary.
This morning it happen again.
"Bring the camera!", called my husband from the living room.
When I got to the window I saw the owl. It had perched itself up under the eave of the porch overhang.
There it was...
It looked like it was tired... and a little cranky.
and it started to settle in...
But something caught its eye. An arrant hummingbird was wondering why this BIG bird was on the hummingbird's porch. These bossy little hummer's don't like other birds near there feeder. It flew quite close to the owl and darted in and out, hoping (I guess.) that the owl would fly away. Well, this little owl stood its ground and appeared more annoyed than anything else.
The hummer flew at the owl a few times and then backed off. He came back a few times, then left the owl alone. They must have come to some agreement. I know that the owl gave the hummer the "stink eye", so maybe that was all that was needed.
The little owl has tucked itself into its feathers and gone to sleep. I hope it's OK. I hope it stays for a while.
It is such a treat to have a wild thing visit us. Like all the other close encounters that we have here, I feel that we have been given a special moment... a gift.
This little guy is like an early Christmas present... already unwrapped.

18 comments:

  1. Yes, he did give that hummer the stink eye. Love it. What a great gift (s)he . I now have owl envy. I want an owl in my eaves. :) Maybe I should ask....

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  2. He is beautiful! I can't believe you got the shot of the hummingbird. I can never get them.

    I understand how you feel about his visit. A Luna moth graced the window of our front door, many years ago. She stayed just over night. I felt I'd been visited by an alien, something so foreign to me but so incredibly beautiful.

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  3. So great you were there and got to see the owl and also get some great pictures.
    We have a big owl usually every year come hang out in our trees for a few days.This past week it has been a hawk. This is such a treat to us as we live right in town.

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  4. how cool is that...owls are awesome...great capture too with the hummingbird right in front of it...will usually see a few around int he trees but that close...

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  5. Smokers! those photos are incredible!!
    You should enter them in some contest...
    I would love to have owls nearby...
    but to witness this..wow...thank the prospector for us all

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  6. great photos. so hard to catch those hummers!

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  7. The owl is beautiful! So cute with the hummer! How lucky you are to have him/her visit! :)

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  8. great pics, and that owl is just beautiful. You are so blessed to live in natures house!

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  9. What a great gift. The owl is a magnificent creature and the little humming bird is cute. I have not seen our owls around here lately not since they ate all my gold fish in my outside pond. Your pictures are great. Have a blessed day. Madeline

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  10. Awesome Mrs. C! I would love this visit too.

    I had the privilege of seeing a great while owl on top of a telephone pole at dusk in the foot hills of Austin many years ago. I took it as a great sign.

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  11. Wow, what a great photo of them both. Maybe the hummer asked Santa for a friend, but now is re-thinking his gift!

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  12. You indeed received an extraordinary Christmas gift! And to get photos of the owl and the hummingbird, what a bonus. It begs to be written into a child's story book! I 'got' and owl for my birthday...a big one flew into the back yard and sat on the fir trees all morning. It was just enchanting.

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  13. to have a meeting with an owl and a hummingbird AND get pictures, that's pretty fantastic. Congrats!

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  14. What a nice Christmas visitor! I'll have to show this post to my grandchildren... they'll love it. Merry Christmas!

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  15. Wow! Connie those are fantastic pictures! What a gift to have witnessed such and encounter...these snippets are what it's really all about...that and the hokey pokey!

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  16. Those pictures are super! You should send the pictures and story into "Birds and Blooms" magazine. They always use stuff like this.
    Happy Holidays! xo, suzy

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  17. AMAZING!!! Imagine having an owl under the eaves of your porch during the daytime. That really was a Christmas gift! I'd love to see that. When we were in Tucson last year, we went to the desert museaum and saw an owl "on display" in the desert. I was about 4 feet from him. They only kept them outside during the daytime for so long and then would bring another one out. So neat.

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