As we began to enter the field down by the Fraser River, I noticed some dried plant debris scattered on top of the snow. As I approached it and saw more clearly what it was. I knew that it was a mouse nest that had been under the snow, that had been destroyed. I assumed it must have been done by a hungry coyote.
As I investigated further, I noticed the 3 pronged tracks of a big bird in the snow, and further away, the imprint of spread wings. Then I realized that it must have been the work of an owl.
Two Januarys ago, I was in this very field, when I watched a great grey owl swoop from his perch on a tree, down to the surface of the snow on the field. He landed, then stood quietly listening. He suddenly gave a small jump, landing claw first deep in the snow. He held this position for a while, then lowered his head to his claws, and when he raised it, he had a mouse in this mouth.
I found it incredible that he could pinpoint the area of a mouse under the snow, from his perch on a tree, and once on the snow, how he could tell exactly where that mouse was.
The photo below is a shot of that encounter I had with the owl in 2011.
My older blogs and photos of my paintings can be seen at: www.davidmarchant.ca
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