We Have Owls!

Nagulat ako nang umuwi ako ng Bulacan for the weekend at nalaman na may isang pamilya ng mga kwagong nakatira sa may kawayanan sa may dulo ng aming bakuran. Wala lang, nakakatuwa, considering that: 1) these are not your common, barn owl types (they're red owls, somewhat smaller in size and sporting rusty plumage, as opposed to the yellow-orange of the former), and 2) live birds of prey are a rare sight even in suburban Bulacan, with sightings of a lone falcon soaring at ultra-high altitudes being the sole respite from the glum of their absence.

Haha. Kapag nalaman ito ni Allels tutuksuhin na naman nung bundok ang San Miguel. Bukid naman ang Bocaue. Haha.

Anyhow, my older brother had plans of capturing them and selling them to the local exotic pet trade, pero it's a good thing that I arrived just in time. Ayun, hindi naman niya hinuli, pero I had to resort to...shall we say unconventional...means of dissuading him from his plans, one that involves his pet budgies and non-stick cookware. Nope, hindi ko sila iluluto, kaya go figure.

Tinatakot ko nga 'yung pamangkin ko, sinasabihan ko na kaya may kwago ay dahil inaabangan nilang makawala 'yung alaga niyang rabbit at pagkatapos...FIESTA! Hahaha. I'm soooo evil.

Naalala ko tuloy nung time na bumili kami ng isang pares ng barn owls from some heartless poacher to spare them from premature deaths in the hands of some ill-bred cretin na kakainin lang sila. One of them was wounded, so we had to keep them in captivity in order to be able to nurse them back to health. Alas, my superstitious mother refused outright to keep them within 50 meters of the house, kasi may pamahiin na kapag nag-alaga ka ng kwago ay malas, may papanaw, etc., etc., kaya dun namin sila sa kabilang lote inaalagaan. At nung gumaling na sila, hindi namin sila mapakawalan dahil baka dun na sila manahan sa may malapit sa amin (dahil nasanay na sila) at baka mahuli lang sila ulit, e lugi naman kung bibilhin ulit namin. It was a good thing na kakilala ng kapatid ko si Monsignor Vengco, yung paring laging nasa Sunday TV. Turns out he's an owl fanatic, and with just one call, he came all the way from Antipolo para lang makuha ang mga nasabing kwago. Napaka-eager nga niya nung time na 'yun (more energy mas happy), parang batang makakakuha ng laruang idadagdag sa koleksiyon.

Nang tinanong namin siya kung bakit ganon na lang ang kanyang dedikasyon para sa mga kwago (mag-ubos daw ba ng gas at kumuha ng alagaing kwago na medyo mapiling kumain at matatalas ang talons), ang sagot niya went something like this: "Kasi lahat ng tao takot sa kwago; pinapatay sila, niluluto, ibinebenta, binabaril. Kung hindi ako ang magmamahal sa mga kwago, sino pa?"

Wow. That's advocacy for you. Haha. Napahanga talaga ako nung sagot niya na 'yun. Winner sa beauty contest. Hahaha. Seriously, though, that's passion: going against the grain for something you feel strongly about. Ayun.

Syet, ang layo na ng nilayo ko mula sa kwago. Come to think of it, wala naman akong balak talagang isulat dito originally save for the fact na may kwago sa bakuran namin. Oh, well, c'est la vie.