Like noisy teenagers
the crow gang
swoops
from tree to tree,
looking to make trouble.

Resting high among the branches
of a three story pin oak tree,
the mother great horned owl
watches the crows’ progress.

Nearby
two fluffy chicks balance
on the edge of a nest basket,
anxiously watching the sky.

Mother’s presence
draws the hostile crows away,
confrontation the only option.

Dive bombing crows
peck at mother’s head
as they sweep past.

In fact,
a great horned owl
can take out a crow
with mastered efficiency.
A fierce predator, this mother owl
chooses the role of hunted
rather than hunter,
all to protect the nest.

Eventually,
the squawky pack
tires of the owl’s steadfast calm.
Where is the fun in that?

Danger gone,
the mother shakes out
her marbled brown and white feathers,
lifts from the oak branch,
and settles on the lip of the nest.

She turns toward her admiring chicks
to supervise breakfast,
as the sun crests
over the tree tops.