Thursday Seeds | Bury the Owls

What happens when the Owl dies? Was it by natural means?

If the death is due to a car, then it’s a murder or an accident.

What happens to the feathered friend? If this were the ocean, a shark or other eater of the like would take care of things. For land and air, vultures will do it too. The problem is that vultures tend to be smart enough to know that it won’t work out too well for them on the pavement. Feathered bodies and cars with dents.

Who cares about the dents on the car? The car owner.

Who cares about the family member missing who is the only breadwinner? The feathered pal that keeps the neighbors talking is flat on the side of the road if he’s lucky. Otherwise, he’s in the road, feathers and all.

How did he get there? Are there tell tale signs of a struggle? Was he pursued by the car? Probably only if the driver wasn’t paying attention. Usually it is nothing more than an accident.  Owls hunt at night. The rat he was chasing is flat as a pancake on the road. Owl’s beak is bleeding and that’s all. No movement and feathers puffed out for a human ornithophile to see. Owl CSI.

Can you bury them? Actually no. It’s illegal to bury them. It’s illegal to take their feathers. (This second part makes more sense but really?) It’s illegal to look at them on a Tuesday in the 6am before sunrise dark.

Brave the bugs? Brave the bacteria? Brave the shame of not? Brave the death and all it might bring up as a mental trigger?

Just leave it there. The mental trigger will go away.  The owl will go away too, right?

Right?

Who should you call to come get it?  Animal Control. How long will it take them to arrive? Will this sacred being be treated better if you do that?

Owls are sacred. Make no mistake. Leave a dead one out and see if they aren’t!

Maybe you can just talk one of your birder friends to come get them. If you live near a nature center, you can call them. Someone would respond, I know it. They would know exactly what to do.

But there is that sacred piece or peace to this that could get missed. This bird should be laid to rest by someone connected to the land. Someone that understands that it’s not just a physical problem, that emotions and spirit are on this too. It’s not a coincidence, this chance discovery.

If it’s your pet cat, you know what to do. You’ve probably done it. Dogs too. But a bird? This wild animal that keeps the populations down that we truly don’t want around? How much respect do you have in your heart for these? With any luck, more than I thought!!

Bury the Owl.