in grey December
the barred owl’s call
colors the sky
Thom Gillespie: photo
As we hurtle toward the winter solstice, these last two days I've experienced two wonderful "animal hearings." Last night at this very spot, I heard through the closed window the unmistakable rhythm of a barred owl's call, repeated every few minutes. I went out on the back deck to investigate. As clouds scuttled across the moon, I heard very clearly and from very nearby, perhaps in my neighbor's pear tree, an owl calling plaintively for a mate.
Tonight, just an hour ago, as Tom and I walked Mr. Darcy through the neighbor, I kept hearing a high-pitched noise as if children were calling or yelling to each other. It got louder and louder, so I stopped and looked up. After a few minutes in the light of the full moon, I saw a large skein of all white geese heading south--I assume they were snow geese. Quite dramatic as they flew past using the moon to navigate.
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