BellaOnline Forums Travel and Culture Native American Do you see what I see?

A huge owl just flew low over my patio. Have you ever noticed how silent they are when they fly?

Owls are amazing birds! Their flight feathers have softly fringed edges so they won't make a sound when they are swooping down on a rodent. How lucky you were to have one fly by so close.

I always wondered how such a large, heavy bird could be so silent. Thanks, Claybird.

I see this owl about twice a month, just after dusk.

Tuesday morning I was riding with my employers to the courthouse for some paperwork. A mile or two from my house, in a clearing near the railroad tressle there was a large bird perched on top of a dead tree. It happened AGAIN! As we were driving past, the bird turned and seemed to look right at me in the back seat.

It was a Bald Eagle! I haven't seen one in over a year. It made me feel so good.

It's so awesome to hear of raptor sightings. Some may know that I bought a new constructed house about 18 months ago. I've been graced with having a wooded meadow as a backyard & have frequently watched a red-tail hawk perched in a tree before swooping in on unsuspecting field mice in the tall grasses.

A mere 6 months ago, son & I saw an unfortunate hawk alongside the road. It wasn't there during our return trip, hoping that it was properly dealt with & not ended up in illegal uses of raptor feathers, claws, etc.

As the ground clears from the drifted snows, the developers are working their way into the lots behind & the hawk perch out my back door will soon give way to a 2-story bricked front teepee. I regret seeing that day come too soon.

We are fortunate the double lot behind us is so tied up with liens it may never be built on. Maybe one day we'll be able to purchase it. It includes some wetland and the nests of our hawks and woodpeckers.

Yesterday as I was checking the mail, one the hawks flew nearby, just a squawking. It sounded like the girl. Week before last I caught a glimpse of both little red headed woodpeckers in our live oak. We've had two years of successful clutches. I'm so glad the "kids" have stayed in the area so we can watch them grow. Daddy woodpecker is quite large.

It is so wonderful to be so close to Nature, isn't it? I was just out back watching the squirrels scamper around and chase each other. They ran and hid when a large hawk came gliding over. I miss the woodpeckers I saw every day at my daughters. There are no trees close by so I only see little birds that stay in the sagebrush all day and only come out when I toss out bread crumbs. The quail make their runs every morning just after sunrise and back again at dusk. Some of the hawks are huge.

I Have crows and Seagulls

Rosie, one of my favorite things to do when I visit my son in Santa Cruz is to walk on the beach and watch the Seagulls. When we fish off the peir, the Seagulls land right by us on the railing and we give them french fries (not too many- dont' want fat Seagulls).

When I was a little girl, my Dad had a pet crow, Jimmy. Jimmy would join us every night for supper and hop from one person to the next, (nine of us) sitting on our shoulder or head waiting for a tasty morsel of something. He loved corn and green beans.