Owly visitors help us celebrate our anniversary

Two barred owls around 8:15 p.m. in our back yard.

Joe and I celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary July 1. We gave each other a card and promised to go to dinner soon to celebrate (Joe’s parents had sent us an anniversary check to sweeten the deal.)

It was a busy time at work that included the weekend. I was glad and happy to celebrate 13 years of marriage (and 18 years of relationship) with my best friend and love, but it happened without fanfare or revelry.

We actually received our “anniversary” gift two days earlier. On Saturday evening, I was working at the kitchen table and periodically took a break to look out the window. The back of our house faces Lost Creek so although we’re in north Terre Haute, we have beautiful scenery most of the year, and even the occasional wildlife visit.

I looked up in time to see first one and then another large winged bird fly across our yard. They landed somewhere in the trees so I presumed they were hawks. We’ve also had a bald eagle and a turkey vulture visit but these were not the same. I then looked up to see both birds fly back across the yard. I noticed that one of them had a flat face, like an owl, but I’d never seen owls in our yard. I called out to Joe and he came to confirm the sighting with his binoculars. They landed in a pine tree at the back of the yard and one jumped down to look for food in the grass while the other stood guard. I got so excited. Luckily I had the long lens on my camera so I stepped out on our deck to get a clearer view. I mimiced their squeaking sound so that they would both “smile” for the camera. They were absolutely beautiful and they reminded me of an old married couple.

Being a city-slicker, I first had to identify what type of owls they were from the Internet. One of the first facts that I learned about barred owls is that they do mate for life. When they are together, they are probably hunting for food to feed their brood (from 2-4 babies). They stayed for about 15 minutes total and then took off for a higher perch. Their coloring was awe-inspiring and they had such unique faces and beaks. To see two at dusk like this was truly an unusual site and one we hadn’t seen in our eight years of residence in Indiana.

We’ve had too many visits from unexpected wildlife, flora and fauna, not to recognize them as pure gifts from God. Especially when they come at the most meaningful times in our lives. Joe and I still haven’t gone for our anniversary dinner but until then, we have an exciting visit from some of our “neighbors” as a gift to each other. I wonder what they’d like for dinner?