Who Dat?

In Alberta we used to have birds, starlings, jays, chickadees mostly, throw themselves into our floor-to-ceiling windows regularly. It happened most in the spring after the dopes had gorged themselves on the previous season's fermented crab apples hanging from the tree just outside the windows. I buried more than one. The majority survived, though stunned. It was great entertainment for the dogs, if nothing else. Occasionally the victim would rise, stumble around for a few minutes as a result of both the impact and the apple wine they sucked back, then go on about their bird business. That bird business sometimes was returning to the apples.  A similar collision happened here the other day; similar but different.
I heard the tell-tale thump of creature hitting triple-pane glass. The dogs did, too. On the deck, splayed out in a very uncomfortable-looking position was a young owl. It was breathing, though not rhythmically. Its face was turned towards us. Perhaps because of that, the dogs just looked back, no noise. The owl's pupils opened and closed over and over again. As amazing as that is to see up close, it looked like death throws to me. Lili came in from the yard and asked what we were looking at. As she arrived at the window, the bird, never taking its eyes from its observers, stood...and stayed for a number of minutes peering at all four of us, one at a time. There was communion among the two humans, two dogs and this skilled predator a meter or so away. Lili began talking to it. We don't know if the owl could here her or not - they do have legendary hearing - but it stopped swiveling its head and focused its gaze on her. Its beak began to open and close. Were they now speaking to one another? Who knows? It sure did look as if they were. Lili, "It's OK baby. You're going to be OK." I imagined the owl to be responding, "Who, who who, who." That's all owls can say, after all. But the inflection might have said much, much more, like, "Who you talking to? Who?" Could have been.

I had gone to get the camera and was attempting to slip out onto the deck to take photograph or two when our new feathered friend flew right at my face, loosening sphincters all over the place. Then it was gone