July 29, 2022

A few nights ago, a parliament of barred owls* showed up in the trees in our yard. It was, at first, entirely baffling. We had no idea what we were hearing in the yard other than a noisy bunch of critters, whooping it up about something they deemed important. For a few minutes we thought they might be turkeys, and then felt badly thinking no, maybe a coyote had found dinner. As the noises and calls continued we were more and more puzzled. Finally, we went outside to investigate and found the sounds coming from the trees. We took a video and friends on Facebook let us know they were barred owls. 

We live in Mendota Heights, in a standard suburban neighborhood, on a standard suburban street. There is a little bit of woods near us and the Mississippi River is just a mile away, so we occasionally hear or see coyotes, fox, and turkeys, but these noises were unlike anything we'd ever heard. Birds of the World calls the barred owl calls “a raucous jumble of cackles, hoots, caws and gurgles.” Here's a listen, if you're as new to them as we were.

The most amazing thing about our Great Owl Experience was that it was so unlike anything we've experienced before. We've lived in our home for 20 years, but no owls before this week. We've been hiking and camping in woods from the Smokey Mountains to to the Pacific Northwest. And of course all over Minnesota. No owls. It was in no way on my radar that an entire parliament* would show up in my yard one night, calling so loudly that they called me out of bed.

Isn't life an incredible surprise?! Thanks be to God!

My prayer for you this week is that at least one incredible surprise will make itself known to you. It might be puzzling at first. It might be noisy enough to keep you up at night. But my prayer is that it brings you a sense of wonder about the world, and a sense of awe about the gifts we are continuously given, often in the most unexpected places and the most unexpected ways.