For instance, the well guys were out last week and bled the well to get rid of the sulfur water smell. They gave us all sorts of tips on maintenance and some insight into the features of the well, things that will be useful going forward.
And then there's the owls that have made quite a racket in the last couple of weeks, who have been in the background hoo-hoo-hoo-ing before mating season when they became more vocal and visible. We would see them occasionally fly between Italian Cypress trees or from the Valley Oaks to somewhere in back, a huge bird with variegated brown feathers and such broad wingspans it seemed impossible to be an owl.
But it was an owl. It did not take long to discover how incredibly smart they are, confident hunters and with established routines at the homestead which has been theirs for countless years. Their hearing is so acute that as we listened to their hooting through closed doors and windows they were listening to us, and when we pulled up an owl website on the computer with samples of hooting calls the owls answered from the tops of the trees.
We were definitely not alone, but what type of owl were they? Friends suggested all sorts of possibilities, but the hooting calls most resembled the Great Horned Owl, indiginous to this area, and the largest of the owl family. Standing nearly 2 feet tall, they are barrel bodied and appear to be much heavier than they are. They are monogamous, non-migratory and ferocious hunters. We looked for them as they courted and mated. No luck. We could hear them from the closest trees but couldn't catch a glimpse. And then just before dusk last Thursday night, there it was, in the huge oak out front, vibrant yellow eyes watching us as we excitedly took pictures. It flew to a neighboring tree and there sat its mate, we imagined with one eye on the fields and one eye on us.
They were Great Horned Owls, and there was no question that we had been thrust into a long-standing eco-system. We felt enormous respect for the chance to be in this spot surrounded by ample food for these majestic birds. If all goes well, they will raise one to three offspring. We are reading up on nesting preferences, and kicking around the idea of building a nesting box should the Hubs be able to install it this weekend high in the oak across from the upstairs window. It will be thrilling to see the babies become branchers and then flutterers and finally move out on their own. What awesome neighbors.
