Abhi looked up, watching the light shimmer through the tall canopy of the Gulmohar tree. Suddenly, something caught his attention. High up, perched on one of the branches was an owl. It was staring at him. Abhi stared back, unblinking. The owl was tiny, about the size of a Banganapalli mango, fluffy cream-coloured yarn and painted with soft brown strokes. Abhi took slow steps, eyes fixed on the small creature.. It felt like they were in a staring contest. After a minute, the owl’s body tensed and it flew away.

Who was this human with its eyes on the tree? Why would it not stop looking at me? I don’t know if the human is friendly or not.

Every day in March, Abhi walked down the lane behind his house, eyes raised looking for his owl friend. He searched online for “urban owls in South India” and learned that this one was a Spotted Owlet. He read that they are often unafraid of humans and stare boldly back. He also discovered that owls stare back when they feel threatened, so he decided to be more careful and observe his new friend from a distance.

I’m sitting on my favourite branch of the lone pine. I hear a faint swish of wings and look up—she lands on the Gulmohar, flushed with orange-red flowers. It’s mating season, and I like how she’s looking at me with big, yellow eyes. I fly up to her branch and wipe down my feathers with my beak, stretching my wings so she can get a good look. She says ‘churr-churr’. We sing a duet that fills the evening. After we mate, I fly to the next branch and continue preening.

As summer approached, Abhi often saw the owl peeking at him from a gap in the roof of a nearby house where its nest was. Is it lonely, or does it have a partner? Do owls form bonds when they mate?

After many days of rain, Owlene is sitting on the Gulmohar in the orange light of the setting sun. She stretches her wings, preening in the way that I’ve come to adore. Ever since Baby was born, Owlene has spent most of her time with her in the new nest.

Suddenly, I notice the human watching Owlene from a distance. I panicked, spreading my wings and screeching to distract it and flying to another tree. But Owlene and the human remain still. She’s calm and stares at it. After a minute, the human walks on. Owlene is brave—braver than me. But the human has seen her now. We must be careful.

Imagine Abhi’s surprise when he looked up and saw two of them. He read that November to April was mating season, so he guessed they were a pair. One of them flew up as soon as he spotted its mate. It sat on the gnarly stump of a branch above him and said ‘schree-schree’. The other owl watched him calmly. Abhi whispered, “You win, little owl,” and walked home smiling.

At night, I sit on the lower branches—mice move under the moonlight, geckos run on fences between the backyards, and worms wriggle in the soil. The jungle mynas, rose-ringed parakeets, and black kites are asleep, and I’m free to fly. I hear a sound in the grass, clear as the night. My ears are different sizes and this helps me pinpoint the source of the sound, like having a 3D map of all the sounds around me.

I swivel my head 180 degrees and spot a mouse 20 metres away. I swoop down in silence, talons outstretched. Got it. Back at the nest, Owlene tears the food into smaller pieces. Our baby gobbles it up, blind and featherless.

A few weeks later, Abhi noticed a movement on the corner of the roof where a tile was missing. He saw a fluffy grey-brown chick, a baby owl, peeking out at the world. Abhi was delighted, but he did not want to scare the baby or its parents. After a few moments, he left.

Every day, Abhi checked the missing tile and saw the baby owl looking out from its little corner. He wondered if it saw a crisscross of sun, shadows, and leaves in motion above. Could it see the grass below, full of insects and mice?

Baby is growing so fast. Soon she’ll leave the nest. Owlene and I have done our part, but I still wonder if she’ll be okay. I’m waiting for the day you spread your wings and fly, my sweet. I’ll miss you, but I know you’re ready.

One night, on a walk in the grassy field near his house, Abhi was listening to a song titled The Silent Flight of the Owl by Manu Delago. He hadn’t seen the owls in days and he was starting to worry. Suddenly, something flew right over his head. Abhi ducked on instinct, expecting to see a bat. A creature landed on a tree nearby, perched on the V-shaped trunk branching out. Abhi stepped closer, the night breeze putting a smile on his face. 

It wasn’t a bat, but a Spotted Owlet. Could it be the baby? Or the mother?

Eyes wide, he inched closer. Abhi was now an arm’s length away from the owl, but it was not paying him any attention. Instead the small owl was watching the grass, closely scanning. Then suddenly, it swooped down. Landing in the grass nearby, the owl turned to look at him with its yellow eyes. They glowed with the light of the moon. The owl seemed unafraid and continued to hunt for tiny creatures in the grass.

Brimming with happiness at their brief encounter, Abhi said a silent goodbye and walked home.