I was delighted to see an owl sitting in the road on my way back from Norfolk on Sunday evening. I think it was a tawny owl but I'm not sure. This picture is not mine. At first I thought the thing in the middle of the tiny road was a rabbit but then that beautiful head swivelled around and fixed me defiantly in its gaze.
We sat there for a few minutes, me astounded at the owl's temerity, the owl defiantly letting me know that they were in charge. My car is electric and quiet, so they weren't scared by engine noise. It was too dark to take a picture and I didn't want to scare the beast by moving. Tell the truth, I hardly dared breathe.
In the end I had to beep my car horn and the owl flew off into the illuminated trees in an elegant rustle of white underwings, like a flapper showing off her silky petticoat.
The worst thing about driving in Norfolk is the roadkill, but to see and connect with an owl for a few fleeting moments felt like a real privilege.
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