Early AM - 20 November

You've heard of cat burglars. But have you ever encounted an owl burglar?

Too early in the AM:
Our house alarm blasts forth, and I bolt upright in bed. 'Someone is trying to break in' are my first thoughts, but I know that we have a very secure complex. I also know that the electric fence is working extremely well -'Thank you Merlin for allowing me to test that the other day'. My second, more realistic thought is 'Something has just moved across the alarm sensor and activitated the alarm'.

Allan, in the meantime, is trying to de-activate the alarm so we don't get kicked out of our complex for damaging hearing with the alarm sounding.

'What on earth is taking Allan so long to switch the alarm off?' I decide to look out the window to see where the owls are, and if the alarm noise has sent them flapping for cover.

Merlin is back on its favourite balcony pillar - looking content. Timka is not on the balcony.

I look out the other window to where we had left Timka on the garden shed. Close to this shed is one of our alarm sensors. On this alarm sensor hangs Timka. Timka decided to use the alarm sensor as a 'stepping stone' to get from shed to wall. The result is an owl burglar hanging by its beak and flapping its wings furiously trying to get on the wall. With every flap, the alarm seems to echo louder and louder. Minutes later, Timka pulls itself up onto the wall and away from the alarm.

All goes quiet. I put my head out the window and look around nervously, to see if any of our neighbours are awake and ready to complain. I feel like I have done something wrong, and it wasn't me - it was one of these wayward chicks - again!

Timka tries a couple more tricks. First, the chick flies to the neighbour's windowsill as if to say 'Ok, you can let me in now'. The windowsill is only a concern because:
A) the chick has no balance and there is a storey drop to a pavement below, and
b) they have a dog which may delight in 'entertaining' a chick that drops in.

Timka tires of sitting on the windowsill and flies to our wall. In a last ditch effort to get hearts racing again, Timka sizes up to a fully grown Hadedah (Ibis). The Hadedah wouldn't do Timka any harm at all, but the presence of the Hadedah so close to Timka, sends PPO into protect mode and she chases the Hadedah away. Poor thing did't know what hit it - not sure if this is literal or just figurative.

Soon after, Timka finds a good spot by our Jasmine bush, and settles in for the day.

It is 7am and my day is already full. I haven't even had any coffee...