By a very strange and wonderful coincidence, this morning I encountered a family of long-eared owls in the park near my home, and in the afternoon traveled to the Kent Library to teach children how to paint owls, in a program I am offering at several King County Library branches: Nightwings. I borrowed several owl skins from Seattle Audubon and brought them with me, as well as a number of moth specimens. The children had a great time and I loved seeing what they came up with.
Here is one boy beginning his owl painting, after carefully sketching it.
I titled my post with a favorite line from an Emily Dickinson poem. It was only the sharp cry that gave us any clue that an unusual bird was nearby. Then as we looked, the bird flew out from the tree and though it looked a little hawk-like, the head shape was unmistakably an owl's. I will be posting more of the children's art in coming days. 
To the left is one child's remarkable painting, which captures all the mystery of owls.
Comments