Missed It by That Much

(Great Gray Owl)

I’ve never seen one despite their presence around our Oregon home. They are huge, standing up to 33 inches tall, flying on 5-foot wing spans, but weighing a mere 2.5 pounds—far lighter than the Great Horned and other large owls. The discrepancy is explained by the fact that they are all feathers. A nude Great Gray would be a humorous let down.

Now, Becky has seen a Great Gray. Close up. I haven’t. She frequently reminds me. Damn. 

I’d read in a newsletter circulated by birders in the Klamath Falls area that a Great Gray had been reported several times on the Running Y Ranch, where we visit often. That’s a big piece of lakeside land, but the frequency of the reports gave me hope that the elusive owl might still be there on our return in early spring. It was. Closer than I might have ever imagined.

One morning, we rose to begin the day. Becky headed for the kitchen to start coffee, and I made a crucial error and headed to the bathroom. As Becky rounded the hall corner that opened into our family room, she urgently called me. (She tried and I give her that.) What she saw must have been breath taking. A Great Gray Owl was perched on the back of our deck chair just a few feet from the room’s large window. Becky must have only been 10-12 feet from it. Of course, the owl noticed her sudden appearance too, and, like any self-respecting wild fowl, lifted it’s tail to lighten its load and took off for parts unknown. In the few seconds it took me to reach the room, my feathered friend was long gone. His large leave-behind the only evidence that he’d been there at all.

Of course, this never happened again, and I’m still hunting for my first sighting of this incredible bird.