Tonight I met an owl. I was driving home down our unbearably bumpy dirt road (we could almost justify a Hummer, but wouldn't) when I saw a white figure swoop over the road and land on a telephone wire. I stopped the car, turned off the lights, and spent a moment admiring the owl. We locked eyes, and as I felt him looking at me I nervously expected him to swoop down and nab me for dinner. Glad I'm not a rat. We live in such a beautiful wild place.
In the Natural History Guide published by the National Park Service says: "The barn owl or lulu is a highly beneficial bird in American Samoa, but some people fear it because they associate it with ghosts or aitu. Its ghostly white appearance and its preference for flying at night enhance its reputation as a mysterious bird....Without owls, Tutuila and Manu'a would probably be over-run with rats. A lulu seen flying through a village should not be feared or hated but welcomed, because it will probably mean one less rat near your fale." Thank you LULU!
We also frequently see lovely blue rails on our road. Their cousins in New Zealand are called pukekos, but here they have the unfortunate name of Purple Swamphens. Pukeko sounds much more exotic and appropriate. Samoans call them manu ali'i (chief birds). At night Ephraim calls them "veloceraptors" for their prehistoric screech that sends shivers down your spine. They run and flap into the bushes like chickens, but they're stunningly beautiful.
We also have tons of fruit bats, it's like Halloween every night.
I imagine this valley hasn't changed much since Day One. And we get to be part of it. I can't wait to show Rachel when she comes.
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