Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Searching For Owls


The baby goats were born a week ago.  
Our two does each produced healthy twins, and all are doing well. 




 Now to keep them safe from predators!

 Living out in the woods, we have a variety of threats. 
 Last year we lost two kids to the coyotes, who lured off the dogs in one direction 
and came in and took two babies in the goat pen.  
This year, we are hearing the low steady 
whoot whoot whoot 
of an owl close by the the towering pine trees next to the goat barn.  
This has the boys all astir.  
What kind of owl is it?  
We have several varieties that habitate here, such as..

The Great Grey Owl:



The Great Horned Owl:



The common Barn Owl:


Today, the boys have the animal encyclopedia out 
studying the habits, calls, and physical features of various large owls. 
This we have made our Nature Journal topic of the week.  
Drawings, labeling, and short reports of various types of owls prepare them 
for the finding of the local silent flyer who could easily pack off a newborn goat kid.

As soon as lunch was over, they are off to the woods for up to three hours of free time.
(After "gearing up" for 20 minutes, that is)


Not really knowing how long they will be out and about, 
what they will encounter, 
and what adventures they will have, 
they are ready for, um...pretty much anything. 
 Hatchets, sheath knives, fire starting kits, possibles bags that contain first aid kits, paracord, flashlight,
and who knows what..food probably, and more knives. 

Waterproof  BOGS are a must in this weather. 
Long underwear, wool shirts over the layers, and hats top off these little woodsmen's outfits.

And, they are off!


I followed them for a bit, telling them to just ignore me while I snapped some pictures.





 
I started back to the lodge to prepare for afternoon tea, 
knowing that they will likely return in a few hours hungry 
and ready to tell of their adventures over a hot cup of tea.

No owl found yet, 
but they did have a great time.
Just another day in the life of our little woodsmen.


UPDATE:
Jim and Ben went outside tonight to try to hear the owl hooting.
 They did hear it, and called back to it.
The owl answered, and they went on "talking" to it until they located it.
 They were so excited!
They came in chattering all about it , but not knowing which owl type it is.
So, I  helped them look up on You Tube various owl calls until we found a match.
 No surprise, it is a great horned owl.
Now they want an owl for a pet.

8 comments:

  1. This is real life learning! Real education!

    I love reading about this Julianne!

    Thank you for sharing this adventure with us!

    Deanna

    ReplyDelete
  2. We loved your blog.While my 3 boys ate breakfast I read to them about your alls owl adventures,and we looked at the photos.Take care and we will look forward to more updates and stories!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dearest Deanna,
    thank you, you are such a sweet thing, always encouraging. I do hope your week is restful and sweet in these post wedding days...thinking of you!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Rebekah and young ones,
    we are glad to share our days with you, and thank you for the encouragement. blessings to you this day!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I was going to say the same thing! I love sharing these posts with my bird boys! This was another really good one. It's so easy to find all kinds of posts geared towards the young ladies...but it's sweet affirmation to find things to nature with my nature enthusiasts. We live in the Midwest, out in the country, and often hear an owl too. We have finally discovered it to be a great horned owl after listening to a CD of bird calls and songs. We have not been able to locate him really, although once while I walked our long drive, he swept through the trees and it was too dark to see, but I knew it was him by his shape in the barely there moon light. The boys were so excited! Have you read the book "Owl Moon"? It's a good owl story.

    Thank you for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Julianne,

    Your posts often bring wonderful Children's books to mind. This time I thought of Owl Moon. What wonderful memories your children will have. Thanks for sharing them with us.

    Julie

    ReplyDelete
  7. Dear Julie,
    Yes, Owl Moon! The children love this book. I think that is why the boys knew how to locate the owl. :-)
    blessings to you this day!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dear Kristin,
    How fun to have similar owl adventures! Since we love children's literature, we do know of Owl Moon, which I think gave the boys much inspiration and appreciation for owls. They wanted me to look up whether it is legal to have an owl for a pet.:-)

    ReplyDelete

Your comments and input are very much appreciate
- Blessings!
Julianne

Living Counter Cultural: Femininity

Popular culture has a decidedly feminist bent.  Recent movies, tv shows and prominent women  are displaying heroins as   to...