We Have Visitors*

About a week and a half ago,  I was at my neighbors apartment around 9 p.m. which is in the same building as my place. I sat on her nice couch and while we were chatting, I heard screeching sounds. I asked her to listen and we were quiet as the sounds enhanced. I suggested that I thought the noise was a screeching owl. She laughed as she said that she hears that noise a lot at nighttime and thought it was her neighbors making that noise. I kindly said, as I chuckled, "that's not your neighbor; that's a screeching owl." As we continued to talk, the noise would become louder and then lower a few decimals. I said goodnight to my friend, and went on my merry way. I totally forgot about the lonesome owl. 

Last week, one of my relatives came over to visit me. While he walked back to his car around 8:30 p.m., he heard the same noise that my friend and I had recently heard from her apartment.  He called me and told me that he thinks there is a nest of owls in the palm tree where I live.  I thought that was cool, but eventually forgot about the owl again...Yes I get fibro fog (a.k.a. brain fog).

Then the next day, I went out for a few hours and visited with some friends.  After I was dropped off at 9 pm, I heard an increased number of screeching sounds coming from the palm trees. I decided to investigate the noise.  I went up to the third level of my apartments and looked out the hallway window...and lo and behold, there was one owl, then another, and another, and one more...than I think there was even one more. They were on the palm tree branches, some were flying in the air, and some were peaking out of the palm tree...So I called my neighborly friend and told her "you have to come check this out...There are 4 or 5 owls in the palm trees on the property."  She was amazed and came as fast as she could up the stairs. It was a sweet moment to share this surprise with her.

The beautifully white colored owls would circle around and come for a landing on the palm tree that was right in front of me.  I couldn't believe it's beauty of how it soars through the sky with no effort.   A few of them soar in the sky, some sit on the palm tree branches, and a few stay in one spot that looks like a nest in the palm tree.  It's so amazing. I have seen owls before, but they usually glide into the palm trees and hide.  So it was magnificent to see these beautiful creatures God created.  When they were flying, I wouldn't hear any sounds from those owls. Only when they landed on the branch; it was then that they would start communicating with each other in this high pitch screeching sound. When two particular owls would join the nest, the owls would get so excited and the screeching would get even louder as though they were the welcoming committee or the hungry committee...These two, I think were the younger ones. They didn't seem to take off anywhere but flapped there wings and were extremely excited when I assumed mom and pop came back...These younger ones, looked just a tiny bit smaller than the other owls, and even a little bit rounder.  But don't let that stop them, they sure have lungs...They get just as excited and loud as the adult owls.

I ended up calling one of my other neighbors on another day and told him about them...I said, "You have got to see these owls." So he came up and we saw at least six owls... Out of the six I saw, five of them were hanging out on the branches and some would fly and come back to the same tree while one (I will name the Rebel) decided to fly to the opposite palm tree.  It was so magnificent to watch...

One of my new nightly routines is to see these beautiful, peaceful creatures.  Six beautiful, fluffy white owls right where I live...Amazing...and the best part is, the owls are on the other side of the building so the screeching sounds don't wake me up....lol...yet I do feel a little sad for my neighbors on the other side....if they aren't getting a great amount of sleep from the group of owls.  The owls seem to come out from 8:30 p.m. to 5 a.m.  Yup, about the time people are either trying to relax or sleep.  

I have been google-ing information about owls. Did you know a group of owls is called a Parliament (ask.com). I also found out that there are over 200 different species of owls too (ask.com). Who knew? I had no idea. If you want to see a list of the owls, check out http://www.owlpages.com/owls.php?genus=all

Okay I have to go now and spend sometime with my new friends.

the picture of the owl is from: picturesfrom http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/PHOTO/LARGE/3160392778_1e4fd6e031_o_TimLenz.jpg