Oxbow Marina
April 2001
Ever since my arrival this time I hear a new sound of a screaming bird in the middle of the night. Night after night it goes on for long periods. I think it might be quail, but am told it could be an owl, not a hoot hoot one ,but some other kind. I am dreaming of winning 16.2 million dollars in the lottery, but in the back of my consciousness is that screaming again. The dream fades and the noise becomes prominent. I am asleep in the v-berth as usual with my head towards the pointy end and the forward hatch is open. I hear something land on the deck, or is it the shed. It is very loud so I check the time 0130 hrs on Mother’s day morning. I best get up and look out the hatch, so I stand and stick my head out turning around to my left and there it is, 2 feet away, a baby owl about 14 inches tall. It is all fluffed up with its wings in a spreaded fashion looking like she is Karate Kid about to attack. And within a split second she charges me, and as fast as I can I dive down pulling the hatch closed, not a second to spare. I realize that the hatch does not close completely and figure her wing is caught, so I lift it up and she stays on the deck, still calling her mother. She doesn’t seem to know how to fly and especially now that I have injured her wing. I am shook to think that had I not gotten up this bird might have hopped down into the boat right on my face, which would have scared me to death.
I try to hit the deck to scare her off, but she just hopped around on the deck with her wings spread. Some kids had told me about this rust colored owl that was around under the dock and flapping her wings like she was hurt. Well this was her for sure. I went into the cockpit to close all the windows as I didn’t need her in the boat anywhere. By now she is back on the dock and I shine a light on her to see if I can identify her better. She is definitely rust colored and white front, no ears, an outline around her face. She runs toward the boat as though she is going to attack again, this time hopping up on the deck. She is quiet now and later I can’t see her, so finally return to bed.
In the morning, I tell my story at breakfast. The other docks have big owls high up. Kim says that since they pruned the eucalyptus trees the owls are now making their houses in the sheds. I identify her as a baby barn owl. I return to Shatoosh and am washing one of the rugs on the dock and I see and hear wings flapping, rust colored and she is under the dock on a cross beam. It is soon that she is in the water flapping around, about to drown! I grab the net and lift her out. A
nd she is quite calm about the whole thing. I take her picture and precede to take her to the levee and put her on the ground between 2 trees. She hops down to the ground cover and closes her eyes. I can see that there is an abraded area of her right wing which is probably from the hatch cover. But she doesn’t seem to know how to use either wing, never closing them, just flapping them. I sit and send her Reiki. She is such a beautiful color. I return to the boat and open the hatch cover and there are 2 little downy feathers. I feel bad that I have hurt her, but know that she doesn’t seem to be a survivor. Later, I hear that she had returned to the water and was flapping around on the next dock, and someone had netted her again. I went over to take her some food but couldn’t find any one or her. Perhaps I can sleep better tonight.
I have named the little baby, Rusty, for her color.
April 2001
Ever since my arrival this time I hear a new sound of a screaming bird in the middle of the night. Night after night it goes on for long periods. I think it might be quail, but am told it could be an owl, not a hoot hoot one ,but some other kind. I am dreaming of winning 16.2 million dollars in the lottery, but in the back of my consciousness is that screaming again. The dream fades and the noise becomes prominent. I am asleep in the v-berth as usual with my head towards the pointy end and the forward hatch is open. I hear something land on the deck, or is it the shed. It is very loud so I check the time 0130 hrs on Mother’s day morning. I best get up and look out the hatch, so I stand and stick my head out turning around to my left and there it is, 2 feet away, a baby owl about 14 inches tall. It is all fluffed up with its wings in a spreaded fashion looking like she is Karate Kid about to attack. And within a split second she charges me, and as fast as I can I dive down pulling the hatch closed, not a second to spare. I realize that the hatch does not close completely and figure her wing is caught, so I lift it up and she stays on the deck, still calling her mother. She doesn’t seem to know how to fly and especially now that I have injured her wing. I am shook to think that had I not gotten up this bird might have hopped down into the boat right on my face, which would have scared me to death.
I try to hit the deck to scare her off, but she just hopped around on the deck with her wings spread. Some kids had told me about this rust colored owl that was around under the dock and flapping her wings like she was hurt. Well this was her for sure. I went into the cockpit to close all the windows as I didn’t need her in the boat anywhere. By now she is back on the dock and I shine a light on her to see if I can identify her better. She is definitely rust colored and white front, no ears, an outline around her face. She runs toward the boat as though she is going to attack again, this time hopping up on the deck. She is quiet now and later I can’t see her, so finally return to bed.
In the morning, I tell my story at breakfast. The other docks have big owls high up. Kim says that since they pruned the eucalyptus trees the owls are now making their houses in the sheds. I identify her as a baby barn owl. I return to Shatoosh and am washing one of the rugs on the dock and I see and hear wings flapping, rust colored and she is under the dock on a cross beam. It is soon that she is in the water flapping around, about to drown! I grab the net and lift her out. A
nd she is quite calm about the whole thing. I take her picture and precede to take her to the levee and put her on the ground between 2 trees. She hops down to the ground cover and closes her eyes. I can see that there is an abraded area of her right wing which is probably from the hatch cover. But she doesn’t seem to know how to use either wing, never closing them, just flapping them. I sit and send her Reiki. She is such a beautiful color. I return to the boat and open the hatch cover and there are 2 little downy feathers. I feel bad that I have hurt her, but know that she doesn’t seem to be a survivor. Later, I hear that she had returned to the water and was flapping around on the next dock, and someone had netted her again. I went over to take her some food but couldn’t find any one or her. Perhaps I can sleep better tonight.I have named the little baby, Rusty, for her color.
