Immersed in another heat wave, it was 82 degrees F at six this morning and the afternoon high is expected to reach 100 degrees. Combined with the high humidity, this heat has enveloped central Missouri in an atmospheric steam bath.
Yet, as I left for work in the predawn haze, two barred owls called from the nearby woods. Unlike their great horned cousins, these owls are often heard throughout the year and, in early spring, frequently call during the daylight hours. Even so, their questioning voices seemed out of place in the soupy air of a Midwest summer.
The owls will retreat to shaded roosts before the morning sun fuels the damp inferno, re-emerging tonight to hunt for mice and cottontails. We admire their hardiness during the frigid months of winter and, trapped in this steam bath, I appreciated their visit this morning; their distinctive calls reassured me that the cool, refreshing days of autumn are on the distant horizon.
