Thank you. Your words bring me a little hope for the future during a time that is dark indeed. And maybe we can all agree on the need to protect our precious and miraculous environment and the natural creatures in it, even when we can't seem to agree on much else. I have your book and I am excited to read it!
So nice to hear from you, Maureen! I'm so glad my words offered a little hope during these challenging times. Like you, I profoundly hope that we can agree on protecting and preserving our incredible natural world. There is just too much to lose, if we can't. Thank you so much for getting my book! I really hope you enjoy it! And thank you for caring about our environment!💙💚
Once again, Sophie, such a wonderful post! In Wyoming, where winters can seem unbearably long, my first observation of nesting great horned owls or golden eagles heralds the advent of spring, regardless of the weather and the fact that we may get snow, even occasionally, into June. And, like you, I await my first bird of the year with eager anticipation tempered by the determination that I will close my eyes and look away from any place where I'm likely to see a starling, house sparrow, rock pigeon, or Eurasian collared dove before I see a "proper" native bird. Thank you also for spreading the word about the dangers of fences to wildlife. I, too, have seen gut-wrenching instances of owls, hawks, sage-grouse (one instance of 20+ individuals at a single location), deer, pronghorn, and elk entangled in barbed wire. Sheep-tight fence is also deadly for entanglement. I was fortunate to be able to rescue a newborn pronghorn fawn from sheep-tight fence in time to avoid the injury of the fawn and the abandonment of the doe...a very happy ending to what would otherwise have been a heartbreaking outcome!
I love that you share in the thrill of early nesting raptors heralding the advent of spring. They somehow makes this part of the winter seem much more bearable. I know you have seen some gut-wrenching fence entanglements but I hadn't heard about the 20+ sage-grouse! How heartbreaking! These fence markers were developed specifically because so many sage-grouse are killed by fences. But deploying them more widely would help so many other species too. I will forever be grateful that you saved that little pronghorn fawn from the sheep-tight fence! I want to live in a world with fewer fences! I also want to advocate for removing fences that aren't being used. Thank you for caring, reading Words for Birds, and being so kind about my post! 💙
I too feel hope when I first hear them singing in the darkness of january. I sadly lost one of my neighborhood owls to a virus carried by the invasive Eurasian Collared Doves. I have heard one calling but not a second one this year. For those of us who know and love birds, seasons take on a whole different meaning!
Seasons really do take on a different meaning for those of us who know and love birds. And those owls are a great sign of the green to come despite all of our snow. I'm so glad (but sad!) that you mentioned your local owl dying of that virus carried by the introduced and invasive Eurasian Collared Doves. Many people think that introduced species are innocuous but they rarely are.
Sophie, it cracks me up that you went out in the middle of the frigid night to influence fate and take charge of what your first bird of the year would be! 😅 So sad about the fence though. I followed the link and was curious about when someone would choose which color fence marker, and with or without the reflective part.
Haha! I'm a big believer in controlling what you can! : )
Thank you so much for checking the fence-tags link! The white markers work best in summer and in places where there's no snow, where they show up against a green or brown background. But the black markers show up better against the snow. So in sagebrush country, where these tags have been deployed the most to protect sage-grouse from fence strikes, they usually put a white tag alongside a black tag. That way, the fence line is highlighted in all seasons. The little reflective slips work well for night-flying birds and is pretty subtle, I think. (Sage-grouse assemble on their leks before first light so even diurnal birds often fly at night.) I'd wanted to order black and white reflective tags but this company sells them (in large quantities) at a price that is currently beyond my budget, so I'm looking for alternatives (even though these are my favorite tags).
I often hear them at night; they somehow make me feel peaceful. Coming upon one of these owls during a walk is such a thrill. So--peace and excitement! Lovely description of your own reaction and relationship to this species. I so wish people would follow your suggestions for keeping these owls and other birds safe.
Peace and excitement, indeed! I know just what you mean. Thank you for the kind words. I really want to do more to mark fences and protect our birdlife!
That quote is perfect…and the whole piece is wonderful! Such a spectacular bird 🦉 - we had a pair in Yellowstone that regularly nested in a large conifer in Mammoth so we had good views of them!And I am so glad you put the link in for the fence markers…it was so sad to find that owl caught in the fence last Spring.
It was heartbreaking to find that snared owl. Endings like that really haunt us. But I'm glad you had a chance to relish the owls in Mammoth! It's always a treat to observe owls.
Beautifully written experience on so many levels Sophie! I have a pair nesting in the tall Redwoods surrounding my home and indeed, they have absconded with the Red Tail Hawk's nest! Many years ago I had a similar experience finding a great horned owl snared in a barbed wire fence alongside a vineyard while its mate circled helplessly above. I stopped my truck, went to see if there would be anyway to help this enormous bird half my own size only to find the more it struggled the more the wire tightened around its wing. Round and around it swirled trying to break free. I didn't have any wire cutters with me so I immediately called a local wildlife rescue to come help. Waiting for them a long half hour while the owl continued to struggle was sheer torture. Two men and a woman finally arrived with some wire cutters and managed to get it extracted from the wire and into a carrier. With great distress I watched them drive away. I stood there for quite a long time watching its mate still circling until I finally drove away myself, very shaken. I've been haunted by this experience ever since, damning the unconsciousness of humans for the barbed wire fences in which deer and birds get ensnared. I went so far as to find the property owners to tell them the story and to beg them to replace their old rusty barbed wire fences with something less dangerous like wood planks but to no avail. Following up I found out this magnificent owl did not survive this traumatic experience. It's wing had been severed.
Thank you for the kind words, Dana, and thank you for sharing your heartbreaking Great Horned Owl story! I'm guessing that my owl suffered a similar fate of swirling around and becoming more and more tangled because we literally could not extricate the poor desiccated owl without tearing its wing. What a terrible, scarring experience for you to actually witness this happening. But you were amazing to stay with the owl and get it some help. These experiences never stop haunting us. I can just imagine how shaken up you must have been. And I'm not surprised that your poor owl didn't survive. The more I hear about birds (and other wildlife) getting maimed or killed by fences, the more distraught I am to see the millions of miles of barbed wire fences in the West (and so often they're falling apart and no longer being used!). I really want to make an effort to mark some of these fences this year and make more people aware of the problem. You've inspired me all the more with your sad tale. Maybe we can both put our awful experiences to some good purpose. 💙
Thank you. Your words bring me a little hope for the future during a time that is dark indeed. And maybe we can all agree on the need to protect our precious and miraculous environment and the natural creatures in it, even when we can't seem to agree on much else. I have your book and I am excited to read it!
So nice to hear from you, Maureen! I'm so glad my words offered a little hope during these challenging times. Like you, I profoundly hope that we can agree on protecting and preserving our incredible natural world. There is just too much to lose, if we can't. Thank you so much for getting my book! I really hope you enjoy it! And thank you for caring about our environment!💙💚
Maureen 💜
I echo your sentiments…well said.
Love that you have Soph’s book! 📖 🐦
Once again, Sophie, such a wonderful post! In Wyoming, where winters can seem unbearably long, my first observation of nesting great horned owls or golden eagles heralds the advent of spring, regardless of the weather and the fact that we may get snow, even occasionally, into June. And, like you, I await my first bird of the year with eager anticipation tempered by the determination that I will close my eyes and look away from any place where I'm likely to see a starling, house sparrow, rock pigeon, or Eurasian collared dove before I see a "proper" native bird. Thank you also for spreading the word about the dangers of fences to wildlife. I, too, have seen gut-wrenching instances of owls, hawks, sage-grouse (one instance of 20+ individuals at a single location), deer, pronghorn, and elk entangled in barbed wire. Sheep-tight fence is also deadly for entanglement. I was fortunate to be able to rescue a newborn pronghorn fawn from sheep-tight fence in time to avoid the injury of the fawn and the abandonment of the doe...a very happy ending to what would otherwise have been a heartbreaking outcome!
I love that you share in the thrill of early nesting raptors heralding the advent of spring. They somehow makes this part of the winter seem much more bearable. I know you have seen some gut-wrenching fence entanglements but I hadn't heard about the 20+ sage-grouse! How heartbreaking! These fence markers were developed specifically because so many sage-grouse are killed by fences. But deploying them more widely would help so many other species too. I will forever be grateful that you saved that little pronghorn fawn from the sheep-tight fence! I want to live in a world with fewer fences! I also want to advocate for removing fences that aren't being used. Thank you for caring, reading Words for Birds, and being so kind about my post! 💙
I too feel hope when I first hear them singing in the darkness of january. I sadly lost one of my neighborhood owls to a virus carried by the invasive Eurasian Collared Doves. I have heard one calling but not a second one this year. For those of us who know and love birds, seasons take on a whole different meaning!
Seasons really do take on a different meaning for those of us who know and love birds. And those owls are a great sign of the green to come despite all of our snow. I'm so glad (but sad!) that you mentioned your local owl dying of that virus carried by the introduced and invasive Eurasian Collared Doves. Many people think that introduced species are innocuous but they rarely are.
"the invinicible summer". Perfect.
Sophie, it cracks me up that you went out in the middle of the frigid night to influence fate and take charge of what your first bird of the year would be! 😅 So sad about the fence though. I followed the link and was curious about when someone would choose which color fence marker, and with or without the reflective part.
Haha! I'm a big believer in controlling what you can! : )
Thank you so much for checking the fence-tags link! The white markers work best in summer and in places where there's no snow, where they show up against a green or brown background. But the black markers show up better against the snow. So in sagebrush country, where these tags have been deployed the most to protect sage-grouse from fence strikes, they usually put a white tag alongside a black tag. That way, the fence line is highlighted in all seasons. The little reflective slips work well for night-flying birds and is pretty subtle, I think. (Sage-grouse assemble on their leks before first light so even diurnal birds often fly at night.) I'd wanted to order black and white reflective tags but this company sells them (in large quantities) at a price that is currently beyond my budget, so I'm looking for alternatives (even though these are my favorite tags).
Thanks!!
Beautiful, Sophie. I love the Great Horned Owl.
I often hear them at night; they somehow make me feel peaceful. Coming upon one of these owls during a walk is such a thrill. So--peace and excitement! Lovely description of your own reaction and relationship to this species. I so wish people would follow your suggestions for keeping these owls and other birds safe.
Peace and excitement, indeed! I know just what you mean. Thank you for the kind words. I really want to do more to mark fences and protect our birdlife!
That quote is perfect…and the whole piece is wonderful! Such a spectacular bird 🦉 - we had a pair in Yellowstone that regularly nested in a large conifer in Mammoth so we had good views of them!And I am so glad you put the link in for the fence markers…it was so sad to find that owl caught in the fence last Spring.
It was heartbreaking to find that snared owl. Endings like that really haunt us. But I'm glad you had a chance to relish the owls in Mammoth! It's always a treat to observe owls.
Beautifully written experience on so many levels Sophie! I have a pair nesting in the tall Redwoods surrounding my home and indeed, they have absconded with the Red Tail Hawk's nest! Many years ago I had a similar experience finding a great horned owl snared in a barbed wire fence alongside a vineyard while its mate circled helplessly above. I stopped my truck, went to see if there would be anyway to help this enormous bird half my own size only to find the more it struggled the more the wire tightened around its wing. Round and around it swirled trying to break free. I didn't have any wire cutters with me so I immediately called a local wildlife rescue to come help. Waiting for them a long half hour while the owl continued to struggle was sheer torture. Two men and a woman finally arrived with some wire cutters and managed to get it extracted from the wire and into a carrier. With great distress I watched them drive away. I stood there for quite a long time watching its mate still circling until I finally drove away myself, very shaken. I've been haunted by this experience ever since, damning the unconsciousness of humans for the barbed wire fences in which deer and birds get ensnared. I went so far as to find the property owners to tell them the story and to beg them to replace their old rusty barbed wire fences with something less dangerous like wood planks but to no avail. Following up I found out this magnificent owl did not survive this traumatic experience. It's wing had been severed.
Heartbreaking Dana!🥲
Thank you for the kind words, Dana, and thank you for sharing your heartbreaking Great Horned Owl story! I'm guessing that my owl suffered a similar fate of swirling around and becoming more and more tangled because we literally could not extricate the poor desiccated owl without tearing its wing. What a terrible, scarring experience for you to actually witness this happening. But you were amazing to stay with the owl and get it some help. These experiences never stop haunting us. I can just imagine how shaken up you must have been. And I'm not surprised that your poor owl didn't survive. The more I hear about birds (and other wildlife) getting maimed or killed by fences, the more distraught I am to see the millions of miles of barbed wire fences in the West (and so often they're falling apart and no longer being used!). I really want to make an effort to mark some of these fences this year and make more people aware of the problem. You've inspired me all the more with your sad tale. Maybe we can both put our awful experiences to some good purpose. 💙