I am an owl, and my name is Hoot. I’m a barking owl, and I spend my nights just as any normal owl does, flying from tree to tree, fighting with many other owls in the great search for food. I live in Australia, along the coast. My home is located in a large tree, in a dense forest. When I emerge from the trees, I find myself right by the ocean. But I don’t like to leave the trees. It is there that I feel safe.

With my large eyes, I scan the base of the trees, searching for possums, rodents, and occasionally a small bird or two. Suddenly, I spot a small mouse running along from bush to bush. The mouse’s idea is not to be seen, but my vision is stellar compared to most animals, and I can spot things that would prefer to stay hidden. I know I need to work fast to get this mouse. But I also must be stealthy. I use my feathers to camouflage, so I don’t worry that the mouse will see me. I only worry that the mouse will hear me, and will quickly move into a space that I am unable to get myself into.

I keep my eyes on the mouse as I move silently through the trees. I wait until I am right above the mouse, and then I decide to dive. But I miss the mouse, and it scurries away into a small hole. This mouse was the first of my many failures that night. The sun begins to rise over the trees, and I go back to my nest empty bellied and feeling discouraged. It seems to me that I had lost my ability to hunt. I go to sleep, hoping that the rest would fuel me for the next night’s hunt.

I wake as soon as the the last of the suns rays disappear behind the forest floor. I am feeling as if I could take on the world. I hop from my tree and soar out into the night, scanning the trees for anything to eat. The forest floor seems bare, but I spot a bird on a low hanging tree branch that I had caught many times in the past. I know that I can catch this bird with ease. Quickly and silently, I swoop down on the bird, and miss again! The bird is disrupted, and flies away, leaving me to search for food again. By now, I am exhausted from the lack of food. I can’t imagine ever catching a meal. I go back to my nest, and sleep on an empty stomach once again.

The next evening, as the sun once again hides itself behind the trees, I wake, hungrier than ever. This time, I am determined to catch something to eat. I fly around for a few minutes before I spot a small possum working its way along the base of the trees. With what little energy I have left, I fly towards the possum, and scoop him up in my mouth. I have done it! It is a wonderful victory, and a tasty one too.