First off, if anyone is still eating their breakfast, or is just grossed out by... well gross things... I apologize. This is just the way this story unfolded. And I'm here to report things the way they happen. And to give you the facts. It's all about learning new things, right?
So, a couple of days ago I went out to the studio to unpack another box or two. As I was walking along, I noticed this unusually large bird dropping. I looked up thinking... hmmm... who could have done something that large? I thought of the bald eagle that Chuck has seen flying over the house, or the big hawk that Rachel and I saw swooping over the palm trees the other day.(one of my sisters suggested it might be a vulture, thanks Karen!) Well then I thought of all those nasty starlings we had in Montrose and what a mess they made of everything and realized sometimes you just can't get away from, well poop, you know what I mean? But the size of this splattering had me curious. I decided I would just have to keep my eyes and ears open. I'm kind of on wildlife alert anyway you know. And sure, you just MIGHT catch me clapping my hands, waving my arms and singing, "I'm out here Javelinas...there isn't room for all of us in this backyard! Go play somewhere else!"
The next day I went out to the studio again, noticing the dropping was still there, this time thinking I should probably drag the hose over and clean it up. That's when I heard someone else say "who...made this mess...who?" I looked up into the palm tree and again heard a soft "who"... and that is when I found my answer.
cool huh?
cool huh? There ended up being two, I found another one in a different tree. It's that natural investigative talent I have. I looked around and saw another white splat at the base of another tree, looked up and found the beauty in these pictures. This one was in a much clearer spot for snapping some photos. I did sneak back to the house to get my zoom lens and I'll admit...I was pretty excited to get these shots!
Chuck had an idea of what kind of owl it could be, so you'll be happy to know that I did some internet research and will be reporting the facts at a later time.
It's a real wildlife sanctuary, I tell you.
Beautiful!!!!!!!!!! There's beauty everywhere......sometimes you have to have a little (or big) poop to get the beauty!
ReplyDeleteI figured the subtle reference to me was the warning that if I was eating breakfast I should wait and read this later. Good advise. That is rather disgusting. Especially the examination part. Reminds me of a High School biology project. We had to discect (sp?) an owl poop. If I had been eating my raisin bran the memories would have been all too distinct.
ReplyDeleteJust to clarify: I didn't really 'examine' it, I just took the picture. That is as close as I got to the stuff. Shawna, what did you discover about it in biology class?
ReplyDeleteNow you need to look for an owl pellet. It is what they regurgitate after eating a mouse or other small rodent. It will be a dry ball of fur and bones. The rest of the animal "disappears" inside the owl. The undigestible parts are "coughed" up in a neat little package. Happy hunting!
ReplyDeleteAwesome...yes, look for the pellet, dissect and find out what other creatures your little feathered friends are finding in your area. Fun!
ReplyDelete