This morning, when there was not yet bright light in the sky, I was walking across the University of La Verne Campus. I saw a bird crouched behind the leopard statue beneath one of our giant oak trees in Sneaky Park. It flew up from the ground to one of the oak-tree branches. I was sure from the shape of its head that it was an owl, not a hawk, though I was surprised it was still abroad in the morning! I quietly walked under the oak-tree canopy and looked up, and the owl turned her head to look at me: her eyes were so dark! The dark eyes, along with the large size of the bird, confirmed that I was looking at a Spotted Owl — a rare bird these days, but one that does live in oaks near the San Gabriel Mountains. After we had looked into each other’s eyes for a few moments, the owl swooped away across the street into the branches of another oak tree. I went to my class, where I was teaching (among other poems), Tennyson’s “The Eagle” — and I couldn’t help mentioning my first owl of the day!
- The image I share here captures the pose of the bird I saw this morning, tho’ of course this one is in a pine tree.
