The day I met Owl

 

Many years ago. A summer evening. Keith and I were going home from the pub. It was still light as it usually is in summer over here. Walking by the edge of the park we saw an owl on a tree.

It was a large owl; I'd never seem them so big. It was about half-way up a tall tree. It was not moving at all. It did not seem bothered by our presence, as if he hadn't noticed us.

Keith started making hooting noises. I tried to dissuade him in case the people in nearby houses may hear us and call the police. He continued hooting for a while. The owl did not move an inch; or a centimetre either. I did not know whether he used the metric system of measurements or not, but it did not matter because he did not move.

We thought he was a statue. But then, who would but a statue of an owl so high up a tree. 

"Perhaps it's a stuffed owl," said Keith who had considered studying taxidermy. He had failed trigonometry at college and taxidermy was another course in the list beginning with T. He thought it was the management of taxis. He ended up studying truancy at College and went on to University to study stupidity.

I doubted it was a stuffed owl. It looked real. But then, stuffed animals look real anyway, only dead. 

Keith decided to draw its attention by throwing something at it. He picked up a brick from a nearby building site. I had to dissuade him by explaining it was not aerodynamic enough. He threw a few small pebbles. The owl did not move at all.

We decided to phone the animal and birds welfare people, even though it was getting late. We went to the telephone kiosk and Keith phoned them.

"There's a big owl on top of a big tree and it is not moving at all!"

"What kind is it?"

"I don't know. Possibly an oak, or an elm or perhaps a sycamore. I don't know about trees!"

"The owl!"

"What about the owl?"

"What type is it?"

"I didn't know there were different types. They're all the same shape with big eyes and heads that go round 360 degrees to save them turning round when walking!"

"How big is it?"

"The size of a small dog!"

"Colour?"

"Mostly brown ... I think ... it's getting a bit dark right now!"

"Does it have a brown face, or is it a lighter colour?"

"Can't remember ... hold on ... we'll go and find out ..."

We ran back to the edge of the park and we could not agree on which tree the owl was on. All trees look the same apparently and the owl could have been on any of them; but which one. We searched many trees and eventually gave up.

Perhaps we should have marked the tree before phoning for help.