Photo: Laurie Wolf at National Geographic
A screech owl in a Florida backyard was caught cohabiting with a duckling.
My sister had an idea that I’d like this story about an owl and a duckling, and she was right. Nature has a way of delighting us even if we’re grumpy, and according to a new Gallup poll, Americans are grumpy lately. Writes the New York Times, “Americans are among the most stressed people in the world. … Last year, Americans reported feeling stress, anger and worry at the highest levels in a decade.”
I can identify with that. But as it’s too rainy today for me to calm down with a walk in the woods, I will indulge myself in a vicarious bit of nature therapy from National Geographic.
Jason Bittel interviewed the amateur photographer who captured the scene above in her backyard.
” ‘Oh, we have an owl chick. This is wonderful!’ These were Laurie Wolf’s first thoughts when she noticed something small and fluffy bobbing up and down inside the nest box in her Jupiter, Florida, backyard. An eastern screech owl had taken up residence in the box about one month before, so she suspected it was an owl hatchling. But the truth was far stranger.
“As a storm rolled in and the sky darkened, Wolf and her husband caught a glimpse of the mother owl poking her head out of the nest box. And right beside the owl was a tiny, yellow-and-black duckling.
“ ‘The two of them were just sitting there side by side,’ says Wolf, a wildlife artist and amateur photographer. ‘It’s not believable. It’s not believable to me to this day.’
“Concerned that the predatory owl might eat the wood duck chick, Wolf contacted a raptor expert, who confirmed the duckling might be in danger. A local wildlife sanctuary agreed to care for the animal if she could catch it.
“But just as Wolf and her husband were about to intervene, the wood duck chick leapt out of the box and ‘made a beeline’ to a nearby pond, and she hasn’t seen the little critter since. …
“ ‘It’s not commonly documented, but it certainly happens,’ says Christian Artuso, the Manitoba director of Bird Studies Canada, who made a similar observation back in 2005 while he was studying eastern screech owls for his Ph.D. In that case, the female owl was actually able to incubate and hatch three wood duck chicks. …
“Parent ducks will sometimes lay an egg or two in someone else’s nest—usually another wood duck or another closely related species. …
“But shouldn’t the female owl be able to realize she’s sitting on the wrong eggs? After all, wood duck eggs are not only more oblong in shape than owl eggs, they’re also about twice the volume.
“Artuso says it’s impossible to know what a wild owl is thinking, but that it could be a case of what scientists call supernormal stimuli.
” ‘The parents might be thinking, Oh my god! This egg is huge! We’re going to have the best baby in the world!’ ”
More here.
If an owl and a duckling can be friends then I think that is a sign that more of us should try to get along. Cheers!
Amen.
I’m so citified I would have thought that’s what a baby owl looks like.
LOL
I guess all the happy, funny animal stories on Facebook must be so popular because they give us a break from our grumpy, depressed world–the regular news cycle is toooooooo grim.
My friend attends a political discussion group—not to change anyone’s mind, just to try to understand the other side. I have to hand it to her. Trying to understand people who seem nice but support policies I abhor would upset me too much. She’s still going after two years, still not understanding.
I’m with Kerry. Although I keep up with the news, those cute animals give me a break from the grimness. Also, interesting that your friend is still baffled after two years. Phew! On a happier note, last night Clif and I watched “Between the Folds.” What a fantastic doc! It went from crafts to art to match to medical science. That’s a lot of distance for folding paper to travel in 56 minutes.Thanks for the recommendation.
So happy! The filmmaker grew up in our town.
How about that!
That’s what you call living in danger zone.🤓 the photo is heartwarming though!
LOL. Sounds like the duck figured it out.
Wonderful post!