It may be a sign of maturity that at a certain point in your life, on Christmas Eve, instead of casting your eyes heavenward for a glimpse of Santa, you’re scanning the horizon for a glimpse of a Short-eared Owl.

John Tschopp shared that he’s been waiting for some Short-eared Owls since the end of October, “They show up in Pemberton in late fall on their way to temperate winter quarters.”

His patience, and evident spot on the birds’ Nice List, was rewarded on Christmas Even, with a sighting of a Short-eared owl, near the Beer Farmers, with a fat vole in its talons. It was there again on December 25. As an added bonus, not far from the owl, was a Northern Shrike.

Who better to offer season’s greetings than the winged ones that transition between the seasons via the invisible currents that cloak our little blue planet… from deeper darker winters than this, into brighter days.

Short-eared Owl. Photo by John Tschopp. December 25 2018

Northern Shrike, photo by John Tschopp, December 25 2018