Gestures of Owlness

Nature Notes - January 2026

Barn Owl | Bob Brewer, Unsplash

Ears up, wings folded, dark vertical bars highlight dull grey breast.
Standing in stillness, motionless, up high, above it all.
Gripping red oak limb in dark crescent light.
 
Looking out over grey and black shadows gently rippling in the faint breeze.
Contrast must be the way owl sees sitting up high,
A black and white pastiche of chiaroscuro shadings,
Splotches of grey dotting brown and black below.

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Barred Owl | Richard Lee, Unsplash

Intently watching, her head turns to match a scratching and rustling over there.
A dark mass emerges with narrowed nose high in the air, then back to the ground,
a rooting armadillo.

 Singing nightjar, companion bird of the night, flies from left to right.
Owl’s head follows, turning unnaturally far – too far.
A tiny rustle straight ahead, head snapping back; she’s watching!
There beyond a grey orb, in the darker darkness, something moves!
A dark furry blur streaks across, from an oblong grey patch to a darker round one.
 
Owl drops off her perch, wings extended, flapping, gliding slowly, without a sound.
An end of life is required to beget another.
 
Perched again, nothing stirs now, the forest is quiet.
Watching intently, the forest is quiet.
Suddenly a nightjar punctuates the silence: chuck-will’s-widow!
Raccoon is rustling way beyond.
Owl watches in stillness, in the way of owls.
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Great Horned Owl | Luis Argaiz, Unsplash

 
I’ve wondered what it must be like to “be” owl or, better yet, to see in the “way of owls.” We might explore “being and seeing owlness” by recognizing that owl has large, wide eyes that take in lots of light, enough to see well in the dark. From his perch he is can easily see armadillo, chuck-will’s-widow, a tiny mouse running between bushes (like they are known to do). Owl is quiet too, very quiet. Silently she sits on her perch. When she hears a noise, she silently turns her head all the way around instead of noisily shifting her body (and grip) in the night hush in order to see what’s behind her. Quiet in flight, her soft feathers are uniquely designed to create virtually no sound, at least any sound that a mouse might hear. A mouse may not even be aware that an owl approaches until the talons hit! Owl’s ability to see in the dark, to move about quietly, and to hear the most subtle of sounds, makes her a formidable predator of the night.
 

Eastern Screech Owl | Pete Nuij, Unsplash

 
In the dark, owl can see – and so can we! At night, the colors of day are washed out; red turns gray, while yellow turns white. In such conditions, contrast becomes more important than color. Chiaroscuros of white and gray and black shading are enough to make out what’s in front of us as we walk through a forest at night. To make a go at owl-seeing, we might choose a night with at least some moon, preferably a half moon or so. Ideally, the trail on which we plan to perform our “owl walk” should be traversed during the day for safety’s sake, to mark out difficult passages, trail obstructions, and holes.
 

Snowy Owl | Zdeněk Macháček, Unsplash

 
When at the trailhead and ready, sit down with your flashlight off (put it in your pocket to have in case you need it). Sit for five to ten minutes to let your eyes adjust while you put on the mind of an owl, listening closely to the night sounds. If possible, take off your shoes to go sock-feet so you can feel the ground beneath your feet. It’s good to know when your foot lands on a stick before you put your weight on it and it cracks so you can avoid the cracking noise. Owls are eerily quiet! Quiet night-walking is a great way to experience the beings of night. If the walk is noisy, the animals of the night will hide and you will have little if any experience of them.
 

Burrowing Owl | Richard Sagredo, Unsplash

 
After sitting for the requisite five to ten minutes, arise and walk slowly down the trail, the slower the better. You will notice contrasts, the way the dark and light mark the outlines of trees and bushes and limbs. If possible, bring a small recording device so you can whisper the details of your observations into its speaker, details that can be re-heard later so you can remember. While walking in the dark, all of the senses become heightened and you will hear, feel, and see in ways that bring a new perspective to the forest–and get some sense of what owlness is.

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