Ne s ti n g
byJenniferL.Raudenbush
Igatherscrapsofbric-a-brac,
alongwithfeathers,mottledblack,
andbitsofribbonfrayedatends,
with moss and grasses nature lends.Iweavethesetreasuresthroughmynest,
repurposeobjectsfoundbyquest:
ahometolaymyeggsandrest.Since1982,theWildlifeCenterofVirginiahas
treatedmorethan70,000injuredwildanimals.
Youcanviewthecenter’sliveCritterCams,
sometimes featuring Papa G’Ho, and read patient
historiesofrescuedanimalslikeowlet#16-0097,
at wildlifecenter.org.the night sky, a nocturnal hunter that swoops
through the dark forest on silent wings.
Thepupilsofitslargeeyesdilate,givingit
verykeennightvision.Andthediscfeathers
arounditsfacecollectthesmallestofsounds,
helpingtheowltohearitspreyfrom
adistance.
Andso,ourgrown-upowletwillcatch
unsuspectingmice,birds,rats,rabbits,hawks,
snakes, raccoons, woodchucks, squirrels, and
maybeevenaskunk.Itwillcallwhoo-whoo
hoo-h-hooo,lookingfora
mate, and once it finds one,
it will locate an abandoned
nest,perhapsoneofasquir-
reloreagleoranotherlarge
bird. Or maybe it will choose
toraiseitsowletsinatree
holloworacave.Butnomatter
whereitnests,ifyoudaregettoo
near its babies, it will clap its beak and hiss
andfuss.Itmayevencomeafteryouwith
itstalons.Itisagreathornedowl,afterall,
taught by one grumpy Papa G’Ho.NOCTURNAL
MEANS
ACTIVE AT
NIGHT.Papa G’Ho “pineconing”—
puff ing up his feathers to
look big and scarytext © 2019 Jennifer L. Raudenbush 17