Sleeping (or not) with the
Owls
By Judy Jessop, Nature Conservancy
Volunteer
It was a mild October night very close to
Halloween. The setting was the Royal Fern camping platform on the
Roanoke River Paddle Trail. A very full day of paddling and
exploring the nooks and crannies of Conaby creek had left us
contentedly tired. As an evening of good food and conversation faded
with the dying light, our sleeping bags stretched out invitingly.
The moon was nearly full, illuminating our camp and casting long
shadows in the forest around us. We sat a bit, enjoying the strange
wash of light, but did not linger long. Sleep came quickly to all
and our rest was undisturbed--until the dramatic entrance of the
owls.
Adrift, somewhere in the mist-laden hours before dawn, we all
encountered an abrupt plunge into consciousness. Who knows, it could
have started with the usual refrain of “Who cooks for you? Who cooks
for you all? If so I certainly slept through that part, however, one
just does not sleep through the heated exchange that occurred over
our heads. At least three, barred owls were engaged in a frenzied
debate. Loud and intense voices with agitated questions and
impatient answers moved about ghost-like above us. The silence of
the owls’ flight, as they moved about in the trees above the
platform, certainly added a spooky disembodied air to the intense
monkey-like chatter.
If you have access to the Internet you can get a good sense of what
we heard by going to
http://www.owlcam.com/soundlib/sound_lib.htm and listening to
the wide variety of calls these owls have. This is a wonderful web
site to learn all about the courting, nesting and raising of barred
owls. The person that maintains the site has photographed and
studied the same pair of owls for several years.
Fall is an excellent time to hear owls because the young birds are
dispersing--out looking for territories of their own. As a result
they are bumping into territories of other owls or perhaps just
elbowing at the edges of a territory they have claimed. The
resulting vocalizations certainly add a bit of excitement to a night
on one of the platforms along the Roanoke River Paddle Trail.
Such remarkable experiences of sleeping among the wild creatures in
the night, book-ended by two days of beauty and tranquility on the
quiet creeks of the Roanoke, leaves me planning for the time when I
can return.
Backyard Briefs
A syndicated weekly column
By Judy Jessop, Nature Conservancy Volunteer
Roanoke River Partners (RRP) is an independent
501(c)(3) non-profit group of organizations & individuals formed to
create a positive, healthy vision and future for the historic
communities that reside throughout the
region - the Roanoke River, Albemarle Sound and their communities.