Strangest Catch

The strangest thing any of my dogs has ever caught was a Saw-whet Owl. I was at the local high school watching my son play fall baseball, with my smallest Jack Russell on leash. A skittering sound in the bushes caught the dog's attention.

Sure that it was a rat, I let the dog slip off the lead to have a little fun. Imagine my surprise when, about a minute later, the little Russell came back with a still warm, but now dead, Saw-whet Owl in its mouth.

I was mortified. This little owl had gorgeous orange-yellow eyes, and a soft brown color. Owls are wonderful birds and extremely beneficial to man, and I would never intentionally harm one.

I imagined the little owl had been mobbed by crows and blackbirds and had sought refuge in the middle of the thicket where the dog had found it on the edge of collapse from exhaustion.

Later, I discovered that over-wintering Northern Saw-whet owls comonly jungle up in thick evergreen brush close to the ground during the day. No doubt this little fellow was sleeping when caught. Too bad for him. The good news is that Saw-whets are very common owls. All the same, this is a catch I am glad has not been repeated.



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