Wise Ol' Owl

I don't know much about Pooh, nor can I recall watching very many of the shows, but I do remember everyone always got advice from the wise ol' owl. He sort of had that old-wise-man-loving-grandpa type  of personality.


One of my favorite memories from growing up in Tucson was going to Camp Cooper in elementary school. In short Camp Cooper was a hands-on camp to learn more about the desert. We'd go out there for a weekend with our classes in 4th grade, camp, and do activities. One of my favorite activities was to dissect owl pellets. For those not familiar with owl pellets, they are really owl vomit. You may think this is gross but as a 4th grader who loved learning about animals and being outdoors this was like a mini treasure hunt. These pellets look like a fuzzy hair ball full of rodent bones. You could identify skulls and leg bones, and vertebras. Owl pellets are what we humans might call a food journal.

Owls have always had a reputation of being wise, strong, quiet, and respected. In many different cultures and religions owls have represented things such as wisdom, knowledge, protection, and even evil and death. If you've ever seen one in the wild they really are majestic animals. Their big eyes, their confident posture, and their seemingly floating head are a beauty to behold. They can live in holes in the ground, barns, or giant trees and cacti. They are fierce, stealthy night hunters.

Why owls? We went to the Desert Museum today, one of my favorite places to go in Tucson. While there we were able to catch a Raptor Flight Show. They showed 5 species of birds, including a Great-horned Owl. I've said before I worship through nature so seeing wildlife or being out in nature helps me see God and be close to God. For some reason as I watched the owl fly from branch to branch I felt as though I had just discovered how mysterious and graceful they really are. Their horns are not really horns but feathers and they have nothing to do with their hearing. Their face actually assists in their hearing as it acts like a satellite dish and collects sound. Their eyes cannot move inside their skull, thus the reason for their head being able to move so well. And of course, they are essentially silent when they fly using their massive wings. It's random to blog about owls but I wanted to share God's beauty that we saw today.