THE ROBIN AND THE SPARROW, CHAPTER 7

As Ole and his helpers paused to consider what the next step might be for each of them the man thought about the time he was trimming one of his large trees in the early spring and spotted a tiny nest in a fallen branch. It had been delicately fabricated together by the small mother, all from recycled material from the yard. He trimmed the branch and carried it inside to show his family. He guessed from the fallen shells that it had held four baby humming birds who with others were now likely on their way back from the south to build their new nest in the spring. He held the nest in the palm of his hand, trying to imagine how tiny the little birds must have been.

Ole raised and lowered his wings, ready to speak after their quiet time. Thought pictures were streaming through their minds, perhaps trying to grasp the enormity of the loss of twenty five million huge trees that had been destroyed, one bite at a time by the small rice-sized beetles, according to a CBC radio news report.

There are many families of owls ranging in size from six to thirty inches in length. Great Horned Owls like Ole are among the larger ones with the Grey Owl and the Arctic Snowy Owl. Ole and many others have key-shaped eyes, ready for all to unlock wisdom for those who wish to tune in, according to ancient lore. What appears to be horns are merely tufts of feathers that lead past great wise eyes to immerse in depressed circles of plumage. Owls are often seen perched silently in their tree-home for hours but can be quite vocal when necessary.

"Since trees have no gift of wings for flight or feet to flee like we have, I sense that each one of you is expressing a desire to help, in line with your gifts bestowed at birth, according to your abilities in either size or salary. I sense that Kn, has formulated a plan and believe I can speak for him. My minds-eye sees him with his mate Ln, family and friends taking flight, then descending at top speed whenever they see any of the scientists or researchers. At twenty kilometers per second, each would pause in front of any researcher for a split second, then dart toward the windmill in the nearby yard to perch on one of the crossbars. By the time a researcher's hand is extended inviting a landing spot, Kn is already at the crossbar awaiting each of his family and others as they repeat his performance in relay form. Another relay of other birds might wish to join in this action as a long formation of birds speed in the direction of the nearest grove of trees that is calling for help. Yes, it has been determined by scientists that trees produce chemicals that can carry warnings to other trees so they get the urgent message in time to produce an antidote to frighten enemies away. Without a beetle scout nearby for direction, the beetles cannot proceed and fall in the grass and die. Researchers will soon get the message for their research. Excellent plan," said Ole.