FRIENDLY OWLS IN THE FOREST DARK

I’ve heard owls hoot and they sounded like friendly owls.

But I’ve never seen one in the wild.

Until yesterday.

I left the house with the dog, headed down the road for the dark forest.

This was what’s out there waiting for me, yellow pods from my big tree.

A heavy drop covers everything in yellow.

Then there’s the drainage:

If you saw this running down the gutter in front of your house, what would you do?

Track it back upstream to make sure this wasn’t some kind of chemical spill?

Knock on a door and ask if there is some kind of biohazard going on?

Call the police, or fire department, and make a report?

Let’s all calm down and wait for a good rain.

Or another good rain since the last one dropped a load of yellow.

There are other similar trees in the neighborhood with the same debris laying around.

But I’ve got to pick my stuff up since it’s near the community mail box and who wants to wade through yellow scum and track it back to the house?

And I don’t want some neighbor telling me to take care of my shit in a testy voice.

“This is part of the homeowners responsibility.”

Besides, if I wanted to hear about it, I’d ask my wife.

What I do instead is sweep up piles and load them into bags with a flat blade shovel.

It’s still messy, but not as messy.

My goal is to show progress, so I cleaned up before the dog and I walked it out.

Then it got dark.

 

Dark In The Park

The forest dark is about a half mile away, probably less.

It’s got trails headed down hill on the east side and the west side.

Since I didn’t have my compass, it might be north and south.

Either way, there are switchback trails down forest paths leading out to paved streets so it’s not a vast wilderness, just enough wilderness.

No one was around when I got there except an owl.

I heard it hoot and copied the sound.

We hooted back and forth a few times before another owl started hooting, then another.

Just a flock of friendly owls hooting together.

The dog wasn’t as interested as me when we took a trail toward the hoots.

The light was fading fast when I saw a big owl swoop through the branches and land in a tree near the owl I got a picture of.

It was maybe 4:30 with the shadows growing longer when I spotted my feathered friend.

I heard about owls from my kid who does this same evening walk in Cook Park.

He’s seen owls, but not me. I wanted some owl spotting.

Maybe the same owls?

 

Suburban Wildlife

Most of the time suburbs have trees that look more like this than a dark forest.

No self-respecting owl is calling this home, or hanging around for dinner to show up.

It’s for the birds and bees, not birds of prey.

If you find an owl in residence, and you have a cat, it could be a problem.

Luckily for the owls, and me, there’s a park not far from here.

It’s the sort of park you might find if you wanted a forest bath.

There’s a wild feeling part, and a few structures to show it’s also civilized.

People have said it feels like a wilderness, a national park.

That’s what I’ve said and the owls proved it.

Oregon has wild places and forests all over, but this one is special for being a ten minute walk away.

What’s your special place?

In some places it’s the front stoop with stairs to sit on and watch the neighborhood pass by.

Some people have a backyard paradise, others never leave the house.

In any event, it’s a choice.

In my single days in Northwest Portland I was an avid runner who warmed up with a jog to Forest Park and cranked it up from Lower Macleay up to Cornell.

If I was feeling extra ambitious I’d cross Cornell and head up and over the hill to the Pittock Mansion.

I felt like a forest tourist in a sturdy car.

These days I’m not so racy. 

After a recent drive downtown I cruised past the Under Armor building near the Duniway Track off Barbur Blvd.

I used to jog there for a warmup then crank out six minute miles. Okay, one six minute mile.

That was my Olympic track moment in my mind. I was running with the pack and ready to go into my kick.

I practiced good form, such good form that an older guy jogged up on my cool down.

He was probably forty, an old geezer to my twenty seven.

It was probably my peak of speed if not endurance.

Old Guy: What club do you run with. That was the best mile I’ve seen here in quite a while.

Me: Club Gillaspie, I’m the only member.

OG: Let me know if you’re interested in joining a running club.

These days my club includes the friendly owls singing in Bull Mountain Park. And my dog.

We might start a band.

Might call it ‘Who D Who And The Friendly Owls.’

Has a nice ring? Our trial song had a good beat and easy to dance to.

We’re not ready to buy a van and hit the road, but you never know.