Magic Happens At 2AM

Let me start by saying this: we were supposed to be able to see the northern lights in California on the early morning of Saturday, July 14, 2012. Apparently, you could see them as far south as Alabama. So my brother and I go outside at 2 AM and start looking for these northern lights to appear. 20 minutes later… nothing. But I’m actually not disappointed. In fact, I’m very glad that my brother and I got up at 2 AM.

The reason why? I SAW A BARN OWL! I know, I know. Barn owls are actually pretty common, and probably lots of you guys have seen one in the wild before. But this was my first time ever! I’ve of course seen plenty of owls in zoos and that sort of thing, but there’s something awesome about seeing owls in the wild, and out in their element. So this barn owl that my brother and I saw must have been patrolling its territory, because it flew over us heading in a westerly direction, and then about 5 minutes later, it flew over us again heading east. It’s so amazing how quietly owls can fly, too! This barn owl flew over us, with its wings flapping, and both my brother and I could not hear a single noise coming from that thing. The first time it flew over us, you could just tell that it was staring us down, too. It was probably thinking something along the lines of, “WTF? What are two silly humans doing outside? They’re never out when I’m patrolling!” Well, to answer your question owl, we “silly humans” were looking for the aurora borealis. And we never saw it.

Another thing that was fun about going outside at 2 AM is just how utterly quiet everything is. There is the occasional sound of a car, train or plane, but other than that, absolutely nothing. Everything is very still, and it feels like you’re the only person on the face of the planet. So I am recommending that all of you reading this just get up and go outside at 2 AM, and if you see anything magical, let me know! I’d love to read about it in the comments.

<< A lovely little barn owl.

(This is NOT a picture I took. It would be awesome if it was, though!)