The Christmas Owl Encounter

Nature often hands out an unexpected, spectacular treat. One such gift happened to me tonight. A friend and I were out for an evening walk and happened to startle something in the tree overhead. As it flew out of the treetop, we saw a wingspan that was at least 30-40 inches across. The bird flew to the top of a nearby cedar tree, and to our amazement, we saw that it was a very large owl! I have no idea what kind but he was gorgeous.

The owl looked something between comical and majestic as he perched at the very top, just as if he was the star on top of nature’s Christmas tree. He apparently didn’t even mind when we walked over to him. Just feet away, he turned his head from side to side as we talked to him as if evaluating our every word.

Several minutes passed, and we finally realized that he was going to wait us out. After all, he had all night, and we were merely guests in his territory--clearly. It was a great way to end a beautiful evening!