Canyon of the Eagles RV Park, Burnet Texas
It is in the warm golden glow of soft sunlight that we set out for our evening stroll.
The Driver catches a glimpse of activity through the low, straggly branches of live oak, mesquite and cedar. I'm distracted by an odd sight, two large zip-lock bags, the kind with the red zipper, filled full with water, sealed tight, hanging from a tree branch. The bubbles capture the light and scatter rainbows. I wonder who hung them, and why?
"Look over here" the Driver points. "Something is going on". We approach to investigate.
A mottled grey owl, small in size, big in attitude, is making repeated swift, silent descents from branch to ground, ground to branch. This Eastern Screech Owl is striking hard with it's sharp talons. Hard enough to send up puffs of dust.
We get closer to investigate the subject of the Owl’s attention.
There, writhing at the base of the tree, is an alarmingly large snake. It doesn't look like a pit viper, so we creep closer still. The snake is roiling and coiling, busily up to something slithery.
Quick as a flash, seemingly out of nowhere appears a large buffy brown rabbit. The rabbit attacks the snake, sending the astonished owl off to the sidelines.
The Owl sits on the ground just a few feet away with one wing extended, swiveling it's head from side to side, up and down, watching the snake-seething, fur-flying melee. Owls can rotate their heads 270 degrees in each direction. Watching the owl perform this seemingly preposterous trick distracts me for a moment from the battle at the base of the tree.
The Rabbit, thrown into a sudden panic, decides it's time to flee the sinuous serpent. It leaps vertically up from the ground, then bolts off in a mad dash, straight toward the Duke, the Driver and the Cook!
The Snake, now clamped firmly to the terrified Rabbit, finds itself taken on a wild ride, flying behind the speed-demon Leporidae, thrashing on the ground and flapping in the breeze.
The Driver hurriedly scoops up the Duke, who would be inclined to join the commotion, while I hop up on a picnic table to get above the fray.
The Snake lets go, the Rabbit disappears into the thorny cactus underbrush, and the Owl glides up onto a cedar branch.
The injured snake, 
mouth stuffed full of bunny fur, 
slithers back to the hole at the base of the tree.
The rays of the sun slant low on the scene as the snake resumes it's activity.
The ratty snake is eating baby bunnies !!!
"Could the owl have been attacking the snake to help the parent rabbit save the bunnies?" I ask.
Not likely, retorts the Driver. "The Owl was simply chasing off the competition. It probably has babies of it's own to feed. Owlets might just have a taste for yummy baby bunny".
Along comes Mr. Park Host, a congenial, limping man with tales of his thespian past and medical future.
He confirms that the Rat Snake is a non-venomous species that does not warrant re-location. We must let nature takes its course.
"These rat snakes are terrific tree climbers" he cheerily informs. Oh joy. It will be a very wary visit outside the Rig tonight when the Duke requires his 3 am draining.
Rat snake had at least one bunny down his gullet. You can see the bulge. And one stuffed in his mouth. A single, solitary bunny escapes.
With one last look around with it's enormous twin moon eyes, the Owl returned to it's family. Those owl eyes can see 100 times better than human eyes in dim light, and the light was almost gone.
Owlet
The Screech Owl’s haunting tremolo, a soft descending trill, almost a whinny, could still be heard as the sun set and the moon rose.
1 comment:
Patience is a virtue when the internet is slow as molasses; but without our Wilson we wouldn't even have that and I would have had to wait until we got home to read this awesome story and accompanying photos.
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