The cold crept back again 2 nights ago.  Yesterday, the snow arrived.  Heavy, all morning. And by evening, it was over knee deep with 18 inches on the ground.  Night arrived as the clouds departed.  Now it’s even colder outside with clear skies, stars from heaven blinking away, and a large yellow moon hung in the sky. the temperature falls well below freezing now.

Unable to sleep I wander the dark house, peeking outside.  The bright moonlight is reflected by all the snow.  It looks almost like an overcast day. In fact, the shadows are so deep it could be daytime. I stand quietly by a window and watch the forest sleep.

Actually, not sleeping.  A doe and her yearly fawn trudge through the snow, and once again start to open up the game trails that wind about our property. From a different direction, a red fox darts across the driveway. I can clearly see his puffy tail in the moon light. He stops, staring at the house, almost as if he can see my shadow through the window pane. I wonder what he’s thinking.

I slip on a heavy coat and boots to step out the back door onto the deck.  It’s so, so quiet. The deep snow muffles sound of course, but it’s not like during the day.  In the daytime, the songbirds call, a blue jay or a crow will squawk, a hawk will issue a piercing cry.  The red squirrels make a fuss with their chrr—rr—rr—rr chatter.  But tonight, there is but one sound.  The local pair of barred owls send out their “Who cooks, Who cooks for you -o-o-o- all” call.  They will be mating soon. Often, they start calling just as evening arrives.

Occasionally we see the the owls during the day; barred owls, unlike other owls, will hunt during the day, especially during winter.  Deep snow like this makes it hard for them to find rodents, so the red squirrel population becomes a target.  One will make half a dozen attempts with no luck.  We’ve nicknames them The Woodsy’s (yes, “the Give a hoot, Don’t pollute” commercial icon).  During the day when I work from my desk, I may catch a glimpse of one from my office window, and I often waste time scanning the tall Scotch pines to see if Woodsy is around, watching and waiting.

But tonight, a shadow floats down from one of the pines, silently headed towards one of the bird feeders.  And there’s Woodsy, after mice who are trying to collect bird seed that’s fallen from the feeder.  Owls can hear their prey under the snow, as well as having excellent night vision. Owls feathers make them silent hunters, no noise, no flapping wing sound like a daytime hunter would make. Just an eerie ghost floating by. At the last minute Woodsy sees me, and heads back for the safety of a pine limb. tomorrow I may find a perfect set of wing prints in the fresh snow.

I don’t want to disturb the hunt, so I slip back inside, remove the coat and boots, and shake off the chill. Just the quick glimpse of a barred owl has made my night. Time for a cup of tea.

Maybe tomorrow I’ll catch sight of one of the pair again, but maybe not. Spring will be approaching soon.  Warmer days will remove the snow, and with it make the night hunting easier for the Woodsy pair. The spring will bring back the whippoorwill, who will call all night. And the coyotes will howl more often.   The fox pair with their kits will make yips to talk to each other.  No snow will mean other nighttime predators will get around easier.  The Woodsy’s will no longer be the soul sight in the darkness.

Tonight though, they have the forest all to themselves.

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I know I usually write about what I am cooking, or my pets, but this is also a true story. I often do get up and prowl the house at night when I can’t sleep. This is the best time for me to do my private thinking, with a silent house, and sensing the quiet outside as well. And often I grab a pen and notebook to write down my thoughts, which is how this column started.

I hope I have painted a picture of this night in your mind. Enjoy.