Life’s a Hoot!  Be “Whoo” You Are

Owls are birds that belong to a group called Strigiformes. That group, which includes over two hundred species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey, is divided into two smaller groups called families. Barn Owls which have heart-shaped faces are in the family called Tytonidae.  The other family is called Strigidae. Most of the owls in this family have round faces. 

Owls have adapted to nearly every ecosystem on Earth.  Owls have an upright stance , a large, broad head, and binocular vision. They have sharp talons and eyes and ears that are designed for hunting. Their unique feathers enable them to fly almost silently. Their wings, which are quite large compared to their body mass, let them fly unusually slowly by gliding noiselessly with little flapping. 

Owls hunt throughout the night in deserted places.  They are carnivores and eat rodents, small and medium sized mammals, insects, fish, and other birds.  Small rodents, such as mice, are the most common food that owls eat. As predators, owls play an important role by reducing the amount of food lost each year to rodents. 

Owls are not friendly because they evolved to be alone.  Owls avoid being in the presence of any other species.  Most owls live solitary lives. Owls typically avoid any sort of contact with humans.  If you find an owl lurking around your property, make noises.  Yelling, shouting, and clapping is what owls don’t like.  Increasing human activity in the presence of owls can make them go away. 

Depending on the species, owls lay between one and thirteen eggs. Three or four eggs is the more common number. Young and weak owls fall prey to wildcats, foxes, raccoons, and eagles.  Owls live an average of 5-12 years in the wild, and often longer in captivity. 

One thing I discovered about owls is that owls can rotate their necks 270 degrees. They can turn their head 135 degrees on either side.  A second interesting fact is that an owl has three eyelids. They have one for blinking, one for sleeping and one for keeping their eyes clean. 

These are the sayings on the bookmark called Advice from an Owl.

• Stay focused

• Be “whoo” you are

• Trust in a wise friend

• Live Off the Land

• Glide Through the Dark Times

• Be Observant

• Life’s a Hoot 

Here are my comments about each of these sayings. 

• Stay focused - The best way to stay focused is to get rid of distractions.

• Be “whoo” you are - Whoo - reminds me of my Mom responding to our question Who? by saying, ‘Whoo, whoo said the owl.  Good Lord, any man will do.’

• Trust in a wise friend - True friendship means you are able to count on one another. Are you a trusted friend?  

• Live Off the Land - Living off the land means to survive only by the resources that you can harvest from the natural land. 

• Glide Through the Dark Times -  Owls glide silently at night. If you glide somewhere you move silently and in a smooth and effortless way. You will face challenges but the advice from an owl says to glide through those challenges that come our way.

• Be Observant - Notice people, situations and events.  Think about what you see and learn more about the world around you. 

• Life’s a Hoot - Have fun.  Enjoy life.  

Have a great day.  Life is a hoot.  Have fun and enjoy life.  

# living life abundantly   # published author,    # travelling tuesdays