Sighting

Friends go on safaris
To observe life in the wild.
Here in New York City,
All the wildlife’s fairly mild.

But yesterday I had a thrill
To vanquish any scowl
For, hidden in a leafy tree,
There sat a saw-whet owl.

Birders with binoculars
Had homed in on this treasure
And the little bird sat still,
Just filling us with pleasure.

I’ve never seen an owl alive
Except those in a zoo
And here was one in Central Park -
A saw-whet, too – who knew?

It wasn’t quite a lion
Or a zebra or giraffe
But my saw-whet owl sighting
Was excitement and a half!