I have a suspicion that this owl, Anna and I spotted in the nutmeg tree in front of our cottage might be a Barred Jungle Owlet! I do not get the names correct for most of the birds. I will not be surprised if someone sends me the correction as it often happens.
What fascinated me was its behaviour. We spotted around 7am, when the sun was shining on the adjacent tree. It remained still for most part of the initial time since we spotted it. As the sun rays reached adjacent to the branch that it was perched, we noticed its body movements. It started looking around and flew away to a corner of the garden to hide in the thick foliage of a tall tree.
Its movement was from light to relative darkness. That made us get a sense of its habitat. It is perhaps more nocturnal than other owls.
I have had an interest in Owls ever since I noticed at least four species of Owls resident in the College campus of CMC at Vellore. It was their bird calls that drew my attention and to search for them in the hollow of the of trees. While at PIMS for a short period, I remember noticing Owls and owlets on the holes in the walls. It was difficult to photograph them as they were often seen in the early morning or evening when the light would not be sufficient.
The stillness of the dark is what strikes me as I think of owls. It is the bird movement in the dark that would alert us of the presence of an owl in the vicinity.
The Owls remind us of light and darkness.
The interior darkness and the exterior darkness- they are both worth meditating upon.
The interior darkness is all about the optic within us. Jesus of Nazareth had something special to say about it: 'The lamp of the body is the eye, if therefore your eye is clear your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your while body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness'! (Mat.6:22-23). The inner light is what shines through us to see through the optic of love, hope, peace, kindness and charity. This is a struggle for me as darkness is a greater force often displacing the light!
The exterior darkness is another reality. The behaviour that casts darkness all around is f jealousy, enmity, prejudice, gossip, suspicion, loose talk, self promotion...! I feel that I get caught in this trap often. Here again, Jesus of Nazareth has something most promising to say, 'You are the light of the world....Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who I sin heaven'(Mat.5:14-16). Each of us is a light that can spread light in darkness.
I was glad that an Owl visited us yesterday. I was facing an intense struggle on account of a few difficult situations I am passing through currently. I have sometimes wondered whether I lost my way by not discerning the journey path when it was required.
An Owl, the good messenger to my soul! Come back again with another message!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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