Nature Scenes with Lynn Bowen: Nature is violent but not malicious

BEACON PHOTO/LYNN BOWEN
Here is a barred owl in Central Florida looking healthy and happy.

By Lynn Bowen
BEACON STAFF WRITER

posted Oct 17, 2009 - 8:50:14am

The ginger and almond colored plumed barred owl/perched on a palm tree in Central Florida one starry night.

His huge, alert chocolate colored eyes blinked,/his asymmetrical ears tuned to hear a mouse/on the sandy path by the marsh in the woods.

Soft magical feathers muted his swift flight./With the speed of a panther and agility of a ballerina,/silently he flew and pounced on the unsuspecting critter.

The mouse's fate was tragic; this is part of Nature's plan./No malice, no hate, no greed, just instinct and hunger/motivated the owl's skillful catch in the silvery moonlight.

Recently, a friend told me she did not love wildlife because she saw so much violence in it. Well, to me, a nature-lover, this was a foreign thought! However, after listening to her viewpoint, I did have to agree that large creatures prey on smaller ones for nutrition, but that is only for survival. Of course, some creatures are vegetarians.

But, my friend is partly correct and entirely welcome to her own opinions. What she did not perceive was that wildlife doesn't hunt or kill for fun, malice or greed. I then wrote the poem above about a barred owl hunting for a meal.

A beautiful barred owl is 21 inches long, has a 42-inch wingspan, and weighs only 1.6 pounds. This nocturnal bird has unique feathers that do not make a sound when in flight. (Most birds, especially doves and pigeons, have noisy takeoffs since their feathers do not mute wing-motion sounds — have you ever noticed that?) With a brown tweed coat and striped vest, the barred owl is very handsome.

In my opinion, all owls (well, all birds) make people's lives better for various reasons. Not only do birds eat such pests as bugs and mice, but they are beautiful and a joy to watch. Draw your own conclusion!

— Bowen lives in DeLand. Send e-mail to abowen27@cfl.rr.com.

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