country nights

Going to the house from the barn one night last week I heard a strange bird call coming from the trees in front of the house. It was nearly dark, 5:30 pm with the orange light of the sun a small crescent on the western horizon. Getting closer I was just able to make out the small body of an owl in the trees over the bird feeder. No doubt he was hoping for a small bird to come for a late snack so he could feed at the feeder, or maybe he was waiting for mice to come out around the spilled feed on the ground. He was a short eared owl owl, one I seldom see around here. They are active at twilight and sometimes even feed during the day. His call is described as “ who cooks for you” , “who cooks for you,” “who cooks for you all?” which I guess is pretty accurate.

Being able to go outdoors in the country after dark is one of the joys of country living. I know of at least 4 owl species that live in our area. We have tiny screech owls living in tree hollows and a big great horned owl makes at least occasional appearances in our area. A barn owl lives in an abandoned silo nearby. We trapped a great horned owl once by accident, he flew inside a chicken pen covered with black netting, his weight allowed him to part a seam. Then he couldn’t get out so he be-headed nearly 50 meat birds in the pen.

Seen in the daylight he was magnificent, despite the carnage around him. He was released safely, although my husband had to be persuaded to do that. His claws were as big as my hands. I saw him again on a moonlit night when I went outside to see what the dogs were barking at and as I sat quietly for a few minutes after I quieted them, he swooped down off the electric pole and pounced on a rabbit in the pasture. His wing span was incredible, but he moved without a sound, you could miss it if your head was turned.

You can see more than owls at night in the country. The stars are incredibly beautiful and look so close far from the city lights. I have seen the northern lights dancing on several occasions. When we first moved here there was a big pole light in the yard. Used to street lights we left it on at night. Then one day it burned out- (actually in the midst of a raging snowstorm with my husband still out in it, straining his eyes to see the light from that big lamp as he fought his way down the road and thinking he’d gotten lost- but that’s another story). We didn’t replace it and we have never regretted it. When it’s dark on our farm, it’s dark.

And when my dogs are still I can hear lots of things in the darkness, like the distant howling of a coyote pack- which probably got my dogs going. I can hear owls and in the summer, nighthawks calling and of course in spring the frogs are singing with gusto.

One of the few reasons I like late fall and winter is that you don’t have to stay up so late to go out in the dark. By 9 pm the night critters are well into their routines. I bundle up and try to sneak out without the dogs noticing on moonlit nights. I have seen opossums and coons, deer and my own horses out grazing in the dark. Rabbits play and fight in the yard. Everything seems so different and peaceful. The mosquitoes are gone. Wood smoke lingers in the air. I can hear the crunch of tires coming down the road a mile away. Your senses seem so alive.

You can’t get that in the city. Even late at night the traffic noise and radios and sirens intrude. The stars are lost in smog. And someone is likely to come up behind you and bash you on the head. In the country I can go out in my nightgown if its mild enough and no one will see me. And I’m not afraid of what’s in the dark either. I love the country nights.