The Owl on Our Basketball

My husband saw it first

“Come outside quickly,” my husband hollered from the hallway.

“What’s happening?” I asked, while calling the kids from upstairs.

“There is an owl on our basketball.”

Our kids — just like us — were delighted. We whispered and kept our distance so that we didn’t scare the owl. From my research, I am pretty sure that it was a Western screech owl, which is a small, robin-sized bird with gray-brown plumage.

I also learned that the Western screech owl is a master of disguise, being able to stretch its body and feathers — making itself look like a tree branch.

Soon our new friend took off and flew into the night.

We stood under the summer night and lingered for a moment till we couldn’t see the owl anymore. Or maybe, it turned itself into a branch. Who knows?