Owl Moon

6:05 AM

Good Morning,
For the past two mornings I have been woken by the call of a pair of Great Horned Owls. Yesterday they were very close, I'm betting the tree at the end of the driveway, and they woke me up before four am. They tend to be more vocal around the full moon anyway, and these two were calling back and forth for about an hour. I didn't mind. Eventaully I fell back asleep listening to them with a smile on my face.


Now somebody is probably ready to ask how am I sure that's what species of owl they are. Well these owl have lived in my neighborhood for years, and I have seen them at night sitting at the top of the neighbor's large spruce. That silhouette is hard to mistake. They look like a big winged cat sitting up there in the trees. Plus you can identify them by they distinctive 5 note call. If you want to hear what they sound like click on this link. http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Horned_Owl/sounds

Yesterday while I was Yule shopping I found some adorable owl ornaments. These were natural looking and kinda "furry", but they looked great --a sort of really miniature horned owl. I snagged one for our four foot nature theme tree that is in the family room.
This morning I was treated to another horned owl serenade at around 4:30 am. This time they called back and forth for around a half hour. I live in the suburbs west of the St. Louis area. The homes in my neighborhood range from well over150 to 60 years old, so the trees are large and well established. It is not unusual to see racoons, possums and the occasional fox. We also have falcons and red tail hawks in the neighborhood as well. Occasionally we see a bald eagle as we are not too far from the Missouri river. But the horned owl are a special nighttime treat.

We often hear them in the late autumn early winter months and as mentioned before they are very vocal around the full moon- especially on clear nights, like we have had for the past two nights. Last fourth of July I was walking in the backyard around 11:00pm and disturbed one of the Horned Owls.  He swooped down from a low maple tree branch and I admit I jumped and then ducked as he silently flew over to the neighbors yard. You forget how big they are until you get close to one. I found the picture to the right online- and thought it would give you a good idea of the shape and size of these owls. Now imagine that swooping out of the dark and a few feet above your head....

Traditionally an owl is a symbol of clairvoyance, wisdom, magick and of course the mystery of the night. A classic symbol of the moon and witchcraft. The owl is associated with the goddesses Athena, Lilith and Lakshmi. According to Ted Andrew's book "Animal Speak", "One who works with owl medicine will be able to see and hear what others try to hide."

Take a careful look (and listen) at the wildlife in your own neighborhood, I bet you are in for some surprises.
Blessed be,
Ellen

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7 comments

  1. We have them in our neighborhood (which over 50 years old and backs up to a flood plain). I have one of my bird baths out in the open (the other two are beside trees) so that the owls will feel safe enough to stop by for a drink.

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  2. I have them in my neighborhood as well. I love listening to them call at night and in the early morn. I have seen them numerous times.
    They are magnificent!

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  3. That sounds lovely. Maybe some will move in here. I had a college class (NW Wildlife) in which I had to keep a journal of the life I saw around me. There were many entries noting a barn owl flying over my truck on my way home from work. They started out with as much detail as I could muster and ended with "That damned owl dive-bombed my windshield again!"

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  4. I haven't seen a Horned Owl, but I have seen a Barred Owl. It was a magical experience, but the local hawk didn't agree with me. He made such a racket that a neighbors dog and a blue jay joined in! The owl was a trooper though, and stayed in his tree, ignoring them all. I managed to get a great photo! Also, I recently got your "Enchanted Cat" book and I am debating on weather or not to do your missing cat spell. I did loose a cat, but that was years ago. We still miss her, especially my dad which is a surprise since he doesn't like cats (he grew up on a farm in Ireland). So I was wondering if I should do the spell or not.
    Anyway, reading this book has given me a new appreciation for Bast. She helped through a tough time, even though I didn't know how tough it was at the time. All I knew about then, was her name and that she was an Egyptian Cat Goddess. She now has a proud place on my alter, and I am forever grateful to her.
    Wow, this is turning into a long comment, sorry about that. Anyway, I love your books, and I can't wait to see/read what you put out next!

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    1. Glad you are enjoying the blog- and "The Enchanted Cat". Wishing you and yours a bright and merry holiday season!
      Ellen

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  5. hi, I am new to your page
    I love this blog
    owls are my power animal, I discovered that when one kept visiting and communicating with me ! I wrote endless blogs about it on my psychic site and it has led to me volunteering with an eagle and owl sanctuary : )
    we have quite a few great horned owls there, one of them is 34 years old and called Mr Bones,
    I am a pagan / wiccan
    so I find your page very useful
    thank you
    x

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    1. Hi Lily,
      I am delighted that you found the blog. I stumbled across owl ornaments this year, I snapped up a couple for my Yule trees! I hope you will enjoy the blogs. Be sure and visit me on facebook, Pinterst and on my website www.ellendugan.com
      Happy Holiday!
      Ellen

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