Midnight Owlspotting with Hannah Sparrow 🦉🌕 Bedtime Stories For Kids | Rewind

[00:00:10] Hello and welcome back to Koala Moon, a podcast of original bedtime stories and sleep meditations for kids designed to make bedtime a dream. Hopefully tonight will be one more lovely calm bedtime as we're about to go and visit our bird loving little friend Hannah Sparrow as she goes off into the hills camping with her dad. They're off to see if they can catch a glimpse of some howls. Twit, twoo! Do you like camping?

[00:00:40] Have you ever slept outside with only a sheet of fabric between you and the night? It's very special when you can hear everything. The mooing cows, the baaing sheep, the footsteps of foxes if they smell something tasty in your bag. Or maybe it's your sweaty shoes thereafter. Let's imagine you've been out all day in the fresh air and you're now ready to climb into your sleeping bag.

[00:01:06] Cozy, warm and oh so ready to rest. Sigh and close your eyes. Relax back into the mattress below and feel your body go heavy and still as you breathe gently in and out.

[00:01:26] Listening closely for the swoosh of wings or the pretty soft song of a passing feathered friend. This is Midnight Owl Spotting with Hannah Sparrow by Jane Thomas. Before we begin, here's a quick ad break. Then we'll start tonight's bedtime story.

[00:01:50] If you'd like to support our podcast, enjoy ad-free listening and unlock all our premium stories, you can join the Coco Club. To join, follow the link in the show notes. Did you know that there's a theory that sometimes people choose their job or hobby because it is in some way linked to their name?

[00:02:17] So, if your surname is Stump, maybe you'll become a lumberjack. Or if it's gold, maybe you'll become a jewellery maker. Or if you're called Hannah Sparrow, chances are you're going to really like birds. And with our Hannah, that is absolutely the case. Hannah Sparrow, with that surname, was quite literally born to love birds.

[00:02:46] She is what is known as a twitcher, someone who travels the world looking for all different kinds of birds. And she always travels with her father. So it isn't really surprising that when Hannah Sparrow's father suggested they go camping one night, up on the hills outside the town where they live, and stay up late, late, late into the night so they can see the owls, Hannah said yes.

[00:03:13] We join Hannah Sparrow now in her bedroom, packing for her camping trip to look at birds of the night. She's just hauled her backpack out from under her bed and is doing her best to squash her sleeping bag into its little sack, and then she's just a little bit of a sack, and then she's just a little bit of a sack.

[00:03:41] And then she goes to her wardrobe and pulls out everything that's warm and cosy. Because even though it's still summer, you never know when it's suddenly going to get cold at night and there is nothing worse than trying to fall asleep with cold toes and a cold nose.

[00:04:07] Into the bag go socks and more socks, jumpers and more jumpers. Those lovely tartan pyjamas that she usually wears at Christmas, all red and fluffy. And then a scarf and a woolly hat and a second woolly hat in case she somehow mysteriously loses the first.

[00:04:33] Next, a pair of gloves and one more pair of socks just to be on the safe side. Then there's the toothbrush and toothpaste. Because just because you're camping, it doesn't mean you need to let your standards slip. And her Teddy Charles. Because even though he's never told her he likes looking for birds, he hasn't told her he doesn't either. So best to be on the safe side with that one.

[00:05:00] Hannah checks that her father has the tent and then checks that he has the poles too. Because those are quite an important part of the tent. She checks he has pegs and something to hit the pegs into the ground. And a roll mat to sleep on. And the teeny tiny stove they use to boil water so they can have a nice hot drink while they look at the stars and wait for the owls to arrive.

[00:05:29] Which reminds her. Mugs. She grins as she chooses the one with an owl on it and the words, Have a hoot. Very appropriate for tonight's adventure. Her mother hands over the packet of sandwiches, all wrapped in silver foil and packed away in the lunchbox Hannah takes to school. And two slices of her homemade chocolate cake. Also carefully wrapped and packed.

[00:06:00] It's that chocolate cake which comes in two layers with a thick layer of cream in the middle. And an even thicker layer of cream on top. And some round the edges and, oh my goodness, it is possibly close to being the best chocolate cake in the world. And the day passes slowly. Because that is always what happens when we want them to pass quickly. And Hannah Sparrow does some pages of a colouring book.

[00:06:30] Kingfishers and parrots, of course. All bright blues and greens and reds and yellows. But that doesn't seem to pass much time at all. And that doesn't take up much time either. She walks around the garden and says hello to all the flowers.

[00:07:00] And hangs out with a bumblebee for a while. But even that doesn't take up much of the day. But finally, it is time to bring the backpack into the hall. And then from the hall into the back of the car. And everything is pushed and squeezed and squashed until it fits. Then Hannah and her father drive down the street.

[00:07:28] Two minutes later, they drive back. And he dashes into the garage and picks up the special folding camping chairs he'd forgotten to include. And then they try again. Hannah and her father head through the town. Stopping impatiently at traffic lights. And waiting at crossings while people pass. They all seem to walk more slowly than Hannah even thought possible.

[00:07:55] But finally, finally, they are at the edge of the town. And the houses and the gardens are bigger. And sitting further back from the road. And then there are hardly any houses at all. And there are next to no street lights. And then they are there. Away from the town. Heading up to the hills where nobody has ever bothered to build a house.

[00:08:24] There is a particular place they are headed. Which is a clearing by a group of trees. That Hannah's father thinks will be the most likely spot for owls to live. They pitch the tent. Which is always a lot easier to think about than to do. Because when you're doing it. Suddenly the poles don't seem to want to go where you think they should. And the ground has lumps in it that you are sure were never there before. Everywhere you try to put a peg.

[00:08:54] There is an enormous rock waiting to get in the way of it. But finally they have put the tent up. Or at least they have done something that means they can sleep under canvas that night. And they have rolled out the roll mats for sleeping. Adding their sleeping bags. That are slowly expanding again. Now that they are out of their squashed little spaces. The pillows are in place. Charles is snuggled into the top of Hannah's sleeping bag.

[00:09:23] And she has put her toothbrush and toothpaste in the little pocket that sits by her pillow. So she can find them easily enough in the night. Turns out they have forgotten to bring a torch. But it's okay. There's a full moon tonight. And an extremely bright full moon at that. Everything has this magical silvery sort of glow.

[00:09:50] That comes from having the moon shine down on it. Hannah and her father decide to make a little fire in front of their two camping chairs. They gather rocks and put them in a ring to make a good border. And then hunt around for fallen leaves and twigs and sticks. The fire lights quickly and is cozy and warm.

[00:10:18] And Hannah parks a marshmallow on the end of a stick and holds it towards the heat. She has already eaten her share of the sandwiches and the chocolate cake. But somehow there's all that. Always room for a toasted marshmallow when you're camping. Funny how it works that way. Birds are coming home at the end of the day. And Hannah takes care to write them all down in her little book of birds.

[00:10:49] She likes to keep a full and thorough record of everything she sees. Even if she's seen it a hundred times before. So everything from crows to blackbirds to sparrows gets noted in that book. A flock of starlings swoops overhead. Only about a dozen, but enough to look impressive.

[00:11:14] And Hannah dreams of the day she gets to see a murmuration of them. When you get hundreds of birds, all sweeping and swooping in perfect rhythm. Moving as one through the sky. A woodpecker is working away at a tree. Hammering his beak into the bark.

[00:11:38] But as the light starts to fade, even he slows down and then stops altogether. Disappearing into his nest in a hole in the tree. Hannah likes to imagine him climbing into a soft bed and pulling a blanket up to his chin. Turning his head this way and that on a soft little pillow.

[00:12:04] As he falls asleep, dreaming of hammering away at the finest trees in the world. Six soft melted marshmallows later and the bats are starting to appear. There's a chill in the air. And Hannah puts on an extra jumper and, after a moment's thought, one of her two woolly hats.

[00:12:30] The big red one that her father always says makes her look like a strawberry. The bats appear first. It's hard to spot them. But then after a while, it's hard not to spot them. They charge around, squeaking their way through the night. Sending out signals that bounce off everything. Leaves. Trees.

[00:12:57] Hannah Sparrow's sort of tent. And sometimes, by millimetres, they miss hitting it all. One second there to your left and then there to your right. Tiny wings flapping what looks like a hundred times a second as they rush past in a blur. Hannah's father tells her they are in all likelihood the common pipistrelle

[00:13:26] and that most bats you see in England are those. The body is only about four centimetres long, but their wings, well, their wings spread out almost twenty centimetres. And they only weigh about five grams. The same as a nickel or the weight of water in a teaspoon.

[00:13:49] Hannah's father spreads out one of his hands and says, that is about their size with their wings. And then he holds up his thumb and says, look, their body is about half of that. Hannah thinks maybe she could get into bats as well. Maybe bats could be as interesting as birds.

[00:14:17] That would make you a chiropterologist, says Hannah's father. And then, attracted by the light of the fire still glowing in the darkness, the moths start to appear. Some of them are huge. They look as though they might be even larger than the bats. And some of them are tiny. So tiny they could fit inside Hannah's thumbnail.

[00:14:47] By the firelight, they all look golden and glowing. But Hannah says aloud that she knows they aren't really. They're quite dull and brown and boring. And she would far rather see butterflies than moths. Not at all, says Hannah's father. See that one there?

[00:15:11] He points to one that is fluttering in place, glowing orange in the firelight. Hannah nods. Yeah, she sees it. That, he says, is an elephant hawk moth. You can't see at all. But that is actually a beautiful, soft green colour.

[00:15:37] And along the edges of its wings and on its body, it is the brightest pink. Hannah's eyes widen. It doesn't look like that. Not in the dark. He points to another and she can see that it is spotty at least, but it still looks as though it's just a couple of greys and browns.

[00:16:04] Look more closely, says her father. The wings are dappled, black and white. And then, inside, there are orange wings with blue dots on them. It's another beauty. He tells her all about the scarlet tiger moth. Black wings flecked with silver and gold.

[00:16:30] And bright red inside wings dappled with black. A cinnabore moth is bright red and black. Very dramatic, he tells her. So now, moths are not boring at all. They are also beautiful. You just need to look at them in the right light and from the right angle.

[00:16:57] Hannah wonders for a while if she couldn't become as interested in moths as she is in birds. And then, her father tells her that would make her a lepidopterist. A breeze comes through and the moths dart away from the waving flames.

[00:17:18] So now, Hannah Sparrow and her father are alone with the silhouette of the trees and the moon and the stars. And the fire flickering in the centre of stones. And finally, finally, there is the first soft hoot of an owl.

[00:17:42] Hannah had been slipping down in her chair, feeling tired but not wanting to admit this. But now, she's wide awake again, looking all around to see which owl made the sound. At night, sounds can often seem as if they're coming from very different places.

[00:18:07] And one moment, it seems as if the owl must be by this tree. And the next, it is surely coming from that tree. And Hannah's head is jumping from side to side as she tries to catch the owl. Then, there it is, a glorious barn owl.

[00:18:30] Wings outstretched, sweeping low and slow between the trees. Hannah holds her breath as she watches him float across the sky. White wings outstretched, heart-shaped face unmistakable against the dark. Legs hanging beneath him, and talons waiting to land.

[00:18:59] There are more hoots, long and low. And a second barn owl appears, drifting through the dark of the night, and coming to land beside the first on his branch. With wings tucked away, they look so small and neat. Little faces looking out into the darkness.

[00:19:27] Heads turning, as if they might spin all the way around. And then they take off. One after the other. Wings absolutely silent as they lift them up. Up, up into the sky. And carry them far away into the depths of the forest.

[00:19:54] With slightly shaking hands, Hannah writes in her little book, noting that she's seen not one, but two barn owls. No sooner has she closed the book than she feels a rush of wind on her face. And an owl passes right by her. So close, it seems as if it wants to catch her attention.

[00:20:22] A tawny owl dances around Hannah and her father, sweeping in circles. Dappled wings glowing like gold in the light of the fire. A single beat of the wings keeps the owl aloft for what feels like forever as she watches.

[00:20:48] Trying to remember every moment and keep it in her mind. For when she's riding the bus to school on a grey day, And she wants to close her eyes and remember something magical. The sighting is noted in Hannah's book. And she closes it with a satisfied sigh.

[00:21:13] She leans back in her little camping chair and looks up at the stars. Trying to remember the groups her father has taught her before. That group might be the hunter, she thinks. And there is one set that looks a little like a frying pan. And is that meant to be a belt?

[00:21:42] It's funny that she can remember everything about birds, But hardly anything at all about stars. She wonders why brains work that way. Why some stuff sticks and some stuff just doesn't. Her mother asked her one day if it really mattered why it was like that. And Hannah said, Well, she supposed not.

[00:22:12] If she can't remember everything, As long as she can remember stuff about birds, That's the important stuff as far as she's concerned. Some more bats flip past, Squeaking and dancing their wild up and down, Left and right zigzag dances. And another barn owl flies silently by,

[00:22:41] White wings outstretched, Not looking down. It's not interested in the people with the tent by the fire. Hannah is about to unzip the tent and crawl into her sleeping bag, And curl up with Charles, When her father reaches across and puts his hand on her arm. She was halfway out of her chair,

[00:23:10] But she looks across at him, And his face says, No, stay a moment. In that way it does when something wonderful is about to appear. She sits down silently, Hardly daring to breathe, Wondering what it is her father has seen. He nods to his right, And then turns to look,

[00:23:39] And Hannah follows his gaze. There, Sweeping towards them, Is an owl far larger than either they've seen that night. An owl that, By rights, Should be nowhere near there. Especially not in the summer. Especially not this far south. Hannah rushes through her mind, Thinking back through all the pictures of owls she's looked at.

[00:24:09] But this one is so distinctive, It has to be that. Even though it can't be. She nudges her father, And he turns to look at her. And Hannah mouths the words, And he smiles and nods, Then turns back to the owl to watch it. For somehow, Impossibly,

[00:24:36] There is a snowy owl, Sweeping its way across the field towards them. The wingspan is vast. At five feet wide, It is wider than Hannah is tall. White as snow, With flecks of black the colour of coal. This owl should be in Siberia, Or Scandinavia,

[00:25:05] Or Greenland. It should be somewhere the temperature plummets at night, And sinks to something so chillingly cold, That all the clothes in Hannah's wardrobe wouldn't keep her warm. But somehow, It's here, In the balmy weather, Sweeping towards her, Across the field. Rising as it reaches their fire and chairs.

[00:25:35] Rising up over the woods, Floating effortlessly above the trees. And then, In a few beats of its wings, It's gone. They're silent for a while, Mesmerised by what they've seen. And then, Hannah's father throws back his head, And laughs,

[00:26:03] And slaps his hands on his knee, And says, How is it possible? How is it possible? How is it possible? That Hannah's sparrow can be this lucky, The first time they go to look for owls. What they have seen, They should not have seen. He keeps repeating over and over.

[00:26:31] Hannah starts laughing with him, And then, She remembers her book, And she writes it carefully in there, Followed by a whole startled line of exclamation marks, To show how surprised she is that it happened. The tent flapped a lot that night, Far more than it should.

[00:26:58] Far more than it would have done, If they'd managed to get all the poles in all the right places, And all the pegs properly into the ground. But even though it flapped, And even though there was quite a large stone, Digging into the bottom of Hannah's sparrow's sleeping mat, She slept better than she had in months, Curled up in her sleeping bag,

[00:27:27] With her arms wrapped around Charlie, And her head sinking into the pillow. That night, as she slept, She flew with the owls, She soared on their soft white wings, She floated through the darkness, She rose high above the trees, And towns,

[00:27:57] And mountains. She rode all the way to Siberia, Looking down on a frozen world, From the wings of an owl. An owl that had travelled thousands of miles, To remind her, How much magic can be packed into a single moment.

[00:28:26] How much wonder there is waiting in the world. How much beauty we can find, If we only sit and wait a while. And, as she slept, She smiled. Even in her dreams, Hardly daring to believe, What a wonderful thing, It was,

[00:28:54] That she had seen, That night.