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Tales from the Field by Jeremy C. Wire Geoconsultants, Inc. An Encounter One Night ~ with an Owl Before there were digital devices available for measuring water levels, running a well pumping test for any length of time usually involved measurements taken by hand using a steel tape or an electric sounder. If a test period was 24 to 72 hours in duration, water level measurements needed to be made overnight by some unlucky person, who would be awakened hourly by an alarm clock, take the readings, check the portable generator running the submersible pump for fuel, and then try to get some sleep between times. Our company was involved in such a pumping test program in a rather remote area, where two wells about one-quarter of a mile apart were simultaneously monitored over a period of several nights. A dirt road connected them, and the routine at night was to be awakened by the alarm clock, check the first well, drive to the other well and take a measurement, then try to get some sleep before starting the routine again in an hour. This activity went on for two nights, but on the third night when I was on duty, an unusual event occurred. It was midnight, being pitch dark, when driving slowly on the road between the two wells, a large owl suddenly landed in the middle of the road in front of the truck. Of course I stopped, thinking the owl might not like the glare of the headlights and would fly away. I waited a few minutes, but the owl stayed in place facing the truck about 20 feet away. Even after moving cautiously ahead, the owl moved backwards accordingly, still standing upright in the middle of the road. I moved forward again and the same thing happened. I thought if I turned the lights off for a while, it would perhaps motivate the bird to fly off. However, this did not happen, and there being no way of driving around the animal, the routine of driving the truck forward a bit with the owl again backing away a short distance, continued for about another 15 minutes. Then suddenly the owl disappeared. I thought about this incident later during intervals of being awake, until morning when my relief came to shut the test down. Was this visit by an owl just a momentary hallucination in the middle of the night while being half asleep, or did it really happen? I had heard that in Native American Indian culture, the owl is considered a bad omen or a symbol of death. At the time, I had no knowledge of a foreboding event, or any friend or close relative who was in poor health and might have passed away. However, when I returned home the next night, I was relating the incident to my wife, who stopped me in mid-sentence. “You know, when we were talking over the telephone earlier today, I forgot to mention I heard this morning that your elderly aunt had peacefully passed away last night.” So it was for me to decide whether this was just a coincidence, but every time I see an owl or hear its screech (which is rare), I remember the encounter with that owl in the middle of the road, and still do not have an answer to this question. Jeremy Jeremy Wire may be contacted via e-mail to michele@worldwidedrillingresource.com Empire State Water Well Drillers Association Annual Meeting January 14-15, 2020 For more information, visit us online: www.nywelldriller.org January 14 th 9 am - 4:30 pm Board Meeting, Variety of Classes (TBD) 4:30 - 7:30 pm Cocktail Party & Trade Show January 15 th 9 am - noon General Membership Meeting Turning Stone Resort Casino Verona, NY For Hotel Reservations: 800-771-7711 www.turningstone.com 50 NOVEMBER 2019 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® ENV Looking for a great deal? Check out the WorldWide SUPER MART™ Classified ads for the drilling industry. worldwidedrillingresource.com