Why does this short clip make me so happy? Even though there is very little action happening here, Otto the Great Horned Owl is showing so many signs of comfort. Only one foot is visible while the other is tucked into his belly feathers. He swallows as he turns his head, moving his beak as if smacking his lips. The feather tufts on top of his head are lowered. All of this indicates that he is simply relaxing in his mew.
But what really makes me smile is the context in which he is feeling so relaxed. Otto is sitting at the front of his enclosure next to the window. And take a look at the timestamp on the video: 10:52 AM! Maybe I still need to explain why that's extraordinary. Let's take a look at what I normally see him doing at this time of day.
Three months ago when Otto first arrived, he would spend all day at the back corner of his mew. Only after staff went home at the end of the day would he venture to other perches, spending evenings looking out his window. I once spotted Otto peering out the window when I arrived at work one morning, but he jumped to the back of his mew when he saw me. He wasn't comfortable in that exposed location with anyone nearby, so he retreated to his safe spot.
This week we have noticed Otto moving around and using all of his perches throughout the day. We can even see him at the window just by walking by the mews on our way to the post office or library. He doesn't flee to his safe spot as he watches us pass. Instead, he relaxes with his foot tucked, finally looking as though he has claimed his entire mew as a safe spot; a home.
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