FreeLists / bristol-birds / [Bristol-Birds] Rambling Thoughts for the Afternoon

["Ken Hale" <khale@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Was traveling back from Kingsport to Bristol on 11-W just after dusk this 
afternoon.  Saw a blur and realized that the truck in front of me had just 
struck an owl.  It looked too big for a screech owl, and displayed too much 
light coloring, so I circled back to check.  The little guy was a red phase 
screech owl, no band, and I moved the carcas to the shoulder of the road and 
resumed my travels.  

To show you how the mind wanders, or at least mine anyway, he was my thought 
process for the next 15 minutes or so.  I began to wonder and think about all 
of the wildlife killed on a daily basis across the nation, and what a waste 
that must be.  Which reminded me of the deer that jumped into my path last 
summer, doing almost $6,000 in damage to my truck.  Which reminded me that not 
too long ago, deer were almost non-existent in Sullivan County, but today they 
were so abundant to have become a nuisance.  

Which reminded me that although I don't hunt much anymore, I was appreciative 
of those who did and helped manage the deer population in our area.  And 
although I am not opposed in any way to hunting, I thought about the fact that 
I didn't find as much enjoyment for the sport as I once did.  But that I 
remained an avid shooter and that the ammunition tax was funneled back to the 
state agencies in charge of managing our state's wildlife, all of which was a 
good thing for wildlife as a whole.

Which for some strange reason, reminded me of the fact that when I was about 14 
years old, I met a fellow named Wallace Coffey.  At that time, I still 
regularly hunted ruffed grouse with my father, uncle and grandfather from time 
to time.  And I chuckled to myself when I recalled that during my first few 
times in the field with Wallace, many of my first questions relating to 
ornithology centered around whether becoming a birder would help my future 
quest of the elusive ruffed grouse.  I realized as I thought through this 
process, that as I began to study birds and other subjects of natural history, 
I had expanded my knowledge and as a result had become more inquisitive about 
why things do what they do.

All of which brought me back to the realization of why a person as distracted 
as we are, would stop in the middle of Highway 11-W to check an owl.

Ken Hale
Bristol, TN