One of my best memories of childhood was when the seven Trussell siblings along with our parents would gather at the close of day. We would sit on the front porch and welcome the coming of night. We would hear crickets, grasshoppers and other insects as if the “night symphony” would begin its many blended sounds.

The sounds were exciting, but the sky added its own colors, and animal life that would tune up for our enjoyment. We would see mosquito hawks, lightening bugs, various moths, bats and whipper wills that would dart back and forth to expand our enjoyment. One game that all of us kids played at night was to see how many lightning bugs we could catch and put in a glass jar. We would get around 50 each night. One bird was always there to give its unique called above all others… the sounds of two hoot-owls. One would be in our north woods and the other would be in our east woods.

North American Indians would sometimes imitate the calls of owls as a signal to their other Indian partners in the area. Two calls meant that a group was ready to attack a farm, a settlement or a wagon train.

Owls have always caught my attention. While studying them, I learned that there are some kinds of owls in every part of America. I have a copy of a book that shows colored pictures of many owls all over America, Alaska, Canada and Mexico. The pictures are breathtaking.

The most common owl here in north Louisiana is the barred owl (Strix varia). This owl is a member of the true owl family. Barred owls are largely native to eastern America but are seen in other parts of the nation as well.

The diet of this owl includes small mammals such as mice, rats and other small rodents. From time to time, they might eat small snakes, reptiles, lizards, salamanders and other reptiles, even earthworms and other small insects.

This owl was first named by Benjamin Smith Barton in 1799. I have lived in ten places in Louisiana, there were always barred owls in each location. When I lived in Missouri, I built a squirrel box in my back yard and guess what! A small owl took up residence in the box. I thought, “Oh, what the heck!” and l let him live there!

If you would like to have a copy of the book ‘Owls,’ try your local library first, and if no luck, try an interlibrary loan. It can also be purchased on Amazon.

(Narrative and photo provided by Jena native Gale Trussell)