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Shower for a juvenile Barred Owl



This evening at about 8:00 I went out in our back yard
in Chapel Hill to water a few recently-planted shrubs
and trees (it is still legal to water plants in Chapel
Hill, if a bit costly).  After I turned on the
hand-held hose nozzle, which gives off a hissing
sound, I noticed that one of the juvenile Barred Owls
that lives in the woods behind our house flew in to a
nearby branch, about 100 feet away, for a closer look.
 He or she is now nearly full size, but still has a
greyish sheen on the top of the head, distinguishing
it from an adult.  The young owl watched for a while,
then flew to a low branch, about 40 feet from where I
was standing, just over one of the plants I was
watering with the jet nozzle spray.  I decided to
slowly raise the spray until the owl was actually in
the spray.  He enjoyed the shower for a few seconds,
then shook his wings, and flew up to the corner of the
roof of our house.  Again I set the hose to distance
spray and gradually raised it until the owl was again
sitting in the spray.  This time the owl stayed put
until it was thoroughly wet, then shook its wings and
flew off into the woods.   I wonder how he will
explain his condition - freshly showered - to his
parents?  I'll definitely go out to water the plants
again tomorrow to see if the owl continues to come to
investigate the sound.

Alan Johnston
Chapel Hill
alanj46@yahoo.com

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