"I turned as noiselessly as possible, and becoming every now and then rigid with the fear of being discovered, as a branch cracked or a leaf rustled, I pushed back into the bushes...I turned, and stood facing the dark trees. I could see nothing- or else I could see too much. Every dark form in the dimness had its ominous quality, its peculiar suggestion of alert watchfulness."
- The Island of Dr. Moreau by HG Wells.
It's October! It's the time of spooky thrills and nighttime chills! I have created a fun snail mail project to mark the Halloween holiday. I decided that this would be the perfect month to talk about all the things that go bump in the night and the creatures that hide in the nighttime. During last year's winter, I was in bed late at night and heard a noise coming from outside, sounding like "hoo ha hoo hoo... hoo hoo." What was this sound? It was an owl, I was sure. Wondering what kind of owl it was, I searched up common owl sounds of Indiana and listened to examples of some nightly calls. It was the sound of the American Great Horned Owl, a large owl widely distributed in North America, as seen in my painting above. These birds are light brown with dark barring and a white throat which extends onto the belly. It's horns, called plumicorns are made of feathers and their bills are dark gray-black. They are capable of silent flight due to their wing structure, which helps them hunt. They have large eyes as owls go, but still slightly smaller than the eyes of a human. They are quite magnificent.
I took a nighttime recording to capture its sound. I decided to be brave and see if I could get a closer look because we don't normally hear this owl in our backyard. I threw on some boots and quietly went out the front door and around the house deep into the darkness. I sat there in silence, completely still. The owl must've sensed my presence because I heard nothing. Just then, I heard a crack of a branch and saw by the light of the moon a small shadowy figure dart across the lawn. I screamed and ran back inside with my heart pounding and laughing at myself. I realized that it was most likely just a rabbit. An owl and a rabbit would not have elicited such a response in the daytime- both beautiful creatures that wouldn't harm me. It was the fear I had of the dark that caused such a reaction. This idea intrigued me and inspired me to craft this month's letter.
October's letter sent me digging for scary references through some of my favorite spooky books- The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells and Dracula by Bram Stoker. I listened to my Halloween playlist- Werewolves of London, Thriller, and Monster Mash.
I read about nocturnal animals and I made an important discovery. Though we may find nighttime animals unnerving at times, they actually have great importance in the great web of our world. And I learned that light pollution coming from our cities can harm their fragile ecosystems and disrupt their food webs. They depend on the night and the dark. We know that many animals need the dark to feed in the night, like bats, for example. Even some flowers, like fragrant Jasmine, blooms at night. October's letter delves into the interesting work of scientists who study the effects of skyglow on animal species and how we can help.
I have since been to visit Soarin' Hawk, a sanctuary for birds of prey, where I met a cute little grey Screech Owl, seen above, who impressed us with his big yellow eyes and his ability to turn his head around about 270 degrees. Finally, I got to see an owl in person.
I hope that this letter is interesting to everyone and makes everyone think about the nighttime and our fear of the dark a little differently. Listen to the sounds of the night during different times of the year below and see if you can hear my backyard owl. Have a Happy October and Halloween!!
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