I See You

Here we go again.

I'm not making any promises about this space. I may update again soon - or maybe not. But I've had this story penned for months, so I'm sharing it. I wanted to freshen up my blog's appearance first, but I've obviously I've given up on that for now. Since the last time I blogged, I moved from Flagstaff, Arizona to Little Rock, Arkansas to Cody, Wyoming! Lots of change, and not a lot of updating.

Anyone who knows me is aware that my time in Wyoming has been filled with enjoying beautiful vistas and watching wildlife. I’ve had several amazing wildlife experiences, but one of my favourites occurred almost exactly one year ago, in October 2018. Let me set the scene.

A bull elk in the East Yellowstone Valley

The Great Yellowstone Thaw
Before I moved to Wyoming, I watched a documentary on Netflix - The Great Yellowstone Thaw. It follows several animals, including a great grey owl, through the seasons. Now, I knew nothing about these owls before I watched this film, but I was fascinated to follow along as the film crew observed a couple of owls through the year. They spoke of the warming trend seen in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), and how it effects the owls, who in the winter plunge through the snow to nab their prey. With warmer weather over the winters, the snow is melting and refreezing, creating a hard crust that is difficult for the owls to penetrate.

Great greys are the largest species of owl in North America but are relatively rare. In the U.S, you can see them in a small strip of land from the Canadian border down to the Tetons, and in Yosemite. I had noticed on social media that a few great greys had been spotted by wildlife watchers in YNP and, for some reason, I had my hopes up that I might see one that weekend.

Playing Hooky 
Road construction meant the road from the East Entrance (the entrance closest to Cody) and the YNP interior was closing for the season early. Snow was in the forecast for the weekend, and as I drove to work on this beautiful Friday morning, I realized that I wasn't going to make it into the park for a last visit before winter. "It's such a beautiful day out." I commented to my boss. "Why are you even here?" She responded. Good question. "You should just go, it's so nice."

Still, I sat down at my computer, booted it up and worked for an hour, all the while contemplating my upcoming hiatus from the park. I did some calculations in my head and realized I could take the rest of the day off. "I'm leaving," I called out as left work to spend the day in Yellowstone.

East Yellowstone

It’s an hour drive from my apartment to the East Entrance of Yellowstone and I spend that time listening to music, listening to podcasts, or just speaking with God. On this particular morning I put on some instrumental music and started praying. I was headed into the park later than I liked, as wildlife are particularly active early and late.

Still, amongst other, more worthy, requests, I said to God, “Of course I’d like to see a ton of wildlife. But if I can see just one thing, please let it be a great grey owl.”

I saw a herd of elk, and a bald eagle, and eventually stopped to photograph a coyote. As I was getting out my car and gathering my gear, a woman came over to me.

“Excuse me. Do you want to see a great grey owl?”

I think I stared at her blankly for a few moments, my eyes blinking in incredulity, before I blurted out, “Are you serious?!?”

“Yes, my husband is over there, and they’re watching a great grey.” She pointed to a meadow and I noticed, about half a mile off the road, a few people lined up with tripods. I seriously could not believe it. I knew the chances of me seeing a great grey owl that day had been slim. And had I not stopped for that coyote, I would have missed it completely. Had this woman not chosen to approach me, I would have missed it. And so, we walked across the snowy meadow to find the owl.

My first view of the owl. This is good example of how difficult
it can sometimes be to spot wildlife

The Great Grey Owl
And what an owl. These guys are huge, with a wingspan that can exceed five feet. Yet they glide through the air almost silently. She would sit there, occasionally gazing our way, but mostly watching the ground for a glimpse of her next meal scurrying through the grass. She perched low, and each dive took only a few seconds. Along with several other photographers, I watched her hunt for a couple of hours, until my frozen feet and fingers could take no more.

A Perfect Day
This is such a fun bird, and this would have been a special encounter no matter what. But it was more than that. It was a reminder of the providence of God. It was exactly what I needed, when I needed it. God doesn't always work this way. He's not a genie or a cosmic vending machine, just dispensing everything we ask for when we ask for it. But on this day, he seemed to be speaking to me, as he often does, through nature. I've had one other wildlife encounter similar to this one (though that encounter involved three bears) and, while to some it may seem silly, I think we all have those special ways where we hear God say, "I see you."

And so this owl, the image at the top of this post, is on a canvas in my living room, staring down at me as a constant reminder of this perfect day and of the love of God.