We put up a Screech Owl nest box in our yard, and I spent three months looking into a black hole. I routinely imagined seeing signs of life in the early morning light, but the void remained. Just as my hope started to wane, I looked out early one morning, and my gaze was met with bright yellow eyes looking back at me. A Screech Owl had moved in.
The void had suddenly become animated. The little owl watched our yard with great interest. He was remarkably expressive, vacillating between sleeping and staring at the world with astonishment in his eyes.
He loved watching birds. He could see our birdfeeder from his perch in the nest box and tracked the birds as they came and went. At one point, a robin walked under the nest box, and he came halfway out of the hole and stared at the robin below. He was drawn to that robin like iron fillings to a magnet. I thought he would pounce, but he slowly pulled himself back in and continued scanning the yard.
He routinely stared off into the distance at things I could not see. When small birds came close to him, his eyes became wide as he fixed them in his gaze.
One evening at dusk, I watched the little owl sitting in the nest box hole. He started shaking, and then a second head appeared next to him. We had a pair!
I was elated. I saw these Screech Owls as the culmination of 10 years of work making our yard more wildlife-friendly. The pair have now been in the box every day for the past four weeks, clearly contemplating whether they should stay and nest. Screech Owls can be fickle and seem to move around a lot, but we have been hopeful.
Having them stay and raise a family would allow me to relive part of the remarkable story Carl Safina tells in his book Alfie and Me. One difference is that, unlike Carl, I will not raise an orphan Screech Owl by hand and release it into the wild.
Alfie and Me tells the story of Carl developing an endearing relationship with a young female Screech Owl named Alfie. Carl is hesitant to release Alfie, but he manages a soft release where Alfie continues to come back into his house to hang out and be fed. Alfie sticks around and raises a family in his yard while checking in with Carl for the occasional mouse and head scratches.
In the remarkable image below, you can see Alfie on the right and her wild mate on the left. Alfie appears to adore Carl. You can see the connection through the tilt of her head, the look in her eyes, and the overall expression on her face. To me, she even looks like she is talking to him. A foot away, love fades to fear, and her mate is on high alert, his eyes wide open, his posture more erect. You can feel his distrust.
Carl and Alfie talk to each other. Alfie makes loud calls from within the nest box every morning until Carl answers with his own Screech Owl trill, and then Alfie falls silent and rests contently, knowing all is well.
Carl is a biologist and a keen observer, and he reveals many fascinating insights into the lives of a Screech Owl family. He also weaves in a narrative encompassing a historical tour of world religions and philosophy.
He shows how Western European culture has deviated from the way humans have related to the world for most of our time on earth. Indigenous cultures are based on respecting nature and living with a degree of humility and respect for life. These cultures lived a life infused with spirit. They were never alone. They looked up to plants and animals, and they understood that every animal knows way more than we do.Â
He describes how we have been led astray by our rugged individualism and how we are in the midst of a slow and painful transition, where the Western European worldview is striving to break free from reductionist thinking.
Reducing nature to her component parts and treating her like a machine misses the big picture and much of what gives life meaning. Reducing humans to rugged individuals ignores our defining trait as a species: the ability to cooperate. We miss out on our collective wisdom as we let aberrant ideas erode human togetherness.
We have work to do to come back together. We could do worse than follow Diane Ackermanâs creed.
All life is sacred, life loves life, and we are capable of improving our behavior toward one another.
Ultimately, we must discern when we have enough. Lao Tzu knew this 2,500 years ago.Â
There is no calamity like not knowing what is enough.
There is no curse greater than the desire for gain.
Therefore, whoever knows what is enough will always have enough.
Carl is always quick to return to the owls. A particularly enchanting part of the story is when Alfieâs three young leave the nest and learn to navigate the world. It does not take long to experience firsthand how dangerous life can be. The fledglings keep dropping down to the ground, where they are vulnerable to attacks from cats, dogs, raccoons, and birds. Carl keeps picking them up and putting them back in the relative safety of trees, but they keep hanging out in the open. As a result of their clueless behavior, 2/3 of young Screech Owls die shortly after leaving their parents.
I hope we get to see fledglings in our yard. Our behavior has already been shaped by the little owls. We keep our kitchen blinds closed halfway to minimize disturbance, and we do not go into the backyard when they are looking out of the box. We get a glimpse into their lives, and they take note of us. We hope our lives intertwine with the lives of owls and that we are woven together with threads of familiarity and fondness.Â
Carl Safina shows us how connecting with empathy can enrich our lives. His relationship with Alfie was full of countless acts of kindness. Over time the distance between Carl and the owl came to zero. What a beautiful thing.
If we attain only what we need to survive, survival has no purpose. Beauty makes life worth the effort it takes. Beauty can save us. So we must be those who save beauty. What is the best we can make of our existence: connection.
Carl Safina
Wonderful! Love the story of Alfie and Carl, how tender their connection. Mutual love and respect. I had to smile about your owl box. My husband made one and when the tree guys came to care for our big trees, one of them fastened it high up on a trunk. Not long after, I looked out and saw a squirrel just hanging out the hole surveying the yard, like âI canât believe my luck.â So much for that! He doesnât even pay rent.
When we connect with our non-human companions we connect with our inner beings. Your story of Alfie and Carl is not only touching, but a true example of how we can live our lives in harmony with our environment, not to dominate, but in appreciation and in cooperation.