Cledwyn The Wise Owl
Cledwyn is a very wise owl who enjoys learning new things. After watching the visitors pass through a garden each night, he decided to find out more about them. I hope you enjoy my story. Thank you for your kind messages and continued support.
Transcript
Hello,
My name is Jacqueline and I am a very proud grandma.
I write stories for my grandchildren and I'm very happy to share them with you too.
So make yourself comfortable because my next story is about to begin.
Kledwin the Wise Owl It was a warm summer night.
The full moon was lighting up the garden and all was quiet.
Although it was well past midnight,
Not everything in the garden was asleep.
Sitting on a branch up in a large fir tree was an owl.
The owl saw everything which went on in the garden.
Nothing escaped his beady eyes.
He remembered all the animals who visited this particular garden,
But the animals didn't know he was there.
He kept silent.
He liked to be alone and never felt the need to interact with other animals,
But he did enjoy watching the comings and goings of them as they came in and out of the garden each night.
The first animal to come through was always the local tabby cat.
The owl knew the cat didn't live at this house because whenever it passed hurriedly through the garden,
The dog who did live there would bark uncontrollably until its owner came and dragged him away.
Then the house lights would go off as the owner and his dog went to bed.
With the house in darkness,
The owl hooted and settled more comfortably onto his branch and waited to see who would appear in the garden next.
The owl was called Kledwin.
He was a very wise owl and always loved to learn new things.
Tonight he was feeling very curious about the animals who visited this garden.
He had watched the activities in the garden for many nights and it was mainly the same visitors who passed through,
Each doing their own thing and normally at different times to one another.
Tonight Kledwin decided to find out more about the visitors.
The first visitor to come into the garden was a hedgehog.
Although the hedgehog was small,
He walked confidently across the lawn as he searched for bugs.
Kledwin hooted.
Hello down there,
He said.
The hedgehog appeared to look around but didn't look in the direction of the owl.
I'm up here in the big tree in front of you,
Said Kledwin,
Realising that the hedgehog hadn't spotted him.
Sorry,
Said the hedgehog,
I have very poor eyesight and I don't see things far away,
Especially not up in trees.
I'm sorry to hear that,
Said Kledwin.
So how do you manage to find food?
I have an excellent sense of smell and my hearing is perfect,
Replied the hedgehog proudly.
This helps me hear my prey and then sniff them out.
That's good,
Said Kledwin,
Happy that the hedgehog would never starve.
I'm feeling curious tonight.
Tell me some more about yourself.
Why are you called a hedgehog?
It seems a very strange name.
We hedgehogs have been around for about 15 million years,
The hedgehog explained,
Happy to share his story.
Back then we didn't have a name.
It wasn't until the Middle Ages,
Around the year 1450,
That we were named.
The reason we are called hedgehog is because we have a peculiar way of foraging.
Well,
It's not peculiar to us,
It's normal to us.
We root through hedges and similar undergrowth in search of food and often make a noise which sounds like a pig grunt.
Add the two together and we were named hedgehog.
That's a great story,
Said Owl.
I'm very pleased to meet you.
Tell me more about yourself.
The hedgehog walked around in a circle,
As he said.
I have around 5,
000 spiked spines on my back which are known as quills.
They are useful to protect me from attacks by foxes and badgers.
When I feel threatened,
I quickly curl up into a tight spiky ball with all of the spines pointed outwards so that I am not a nice tasty snack for them any longer.
And quick as a flash,
The hedgehog curled into a ball.
That's very clever,
Said Kledwin.
You are quite tiny but I can understand how being spiky makes you a challenge.
The hedgehog uncurled and said,
I only weigh around two pounds and I only live for between five and eight years.
I have to do everything I can to look after myself so I can enjoy my short life to the fullest.
Do you have any family to enjoy life with,
Asked Kledwin.
Yes,
I have a lovely female companion.
She has just given birth to a litter of four little hoglets.
That's what we call baby hedgehogs.
They are born blind so need their mum's attention,
But they will soon be able to survive on their own in around two to three months.
Are they at home now,
Asked Kledwin.
Yes,
Before I had a family,
I would sleep most of the day under bushes or in clumps of grass.
But now the little ones are here,
I dug a den in the ground which is very cosy for us all.
Well,
I won't keep you any longer,
Said Kledwin.
I'm sure you must want to get back to your family.
It was great talking to you.
Yes,
I must get back,
Said the hedgehog.
It was good talking to you too.
Bye,
And he scurried away.
Kledwin settled onto his branch.
He had enjoyed his conversation with the hedgehog and was keen for the next animal to visit the garden.
He didn't have to wait long before a rat appeared from under the greenhouse in the corner of the garden.
The rat made his way to a tree where a bird feeder was hanging and began nibbling on the nuts and seeds which had been knocked to the ground by the birds.
You've got really strong teeth,
Said Kledwin,
Noticing how the rat crunched effortlessly on the seeds and nuts.
The rat looked up and saw the owl looking down at him.
He left his feast and quickly ran up the side of the tree,
Which was quite close to the tree Kledwin was perched in.
Take a look at them,
The rat said,
Bearing his teeth proudly.
My teeth are very sturdy and strong and do not stop growing.
That's why I constantly nibble and chew to wear them down and keep them a manageable length.
My teeth can chew through nearly any material,
Plastic,
Aluminium,
Wood and even soft concrete.
Wow,
That's quite incredible,
Exclaimed Kledwin.
I can also move my eyes in opposite directions,
Watch,
And the rat happily showed off his skill.
This enables me to be fully aware of what's happening around me and I can spot predators who may try and surround me.
Can you do that?
No,
I can't do that because my eyes are fixed in my sockets,
Explained Kledwin.
However,
Because of this,
I am able to spin my head up to 270 degrees,
Which increases my vision and makes it easier for me to follow noises or see my prey.
And he turned his head to demonstrate.
The rat didn't seem very impressed and continued sharing his own skills.
I am also a very good swimmer,
He said proudly.
I can hold my breath for several minutes.
Can you swim?
I tend to avoid water,
Said Kledwin.
If I go into water,
I cannot take off out of it very easily.
Also,
Because my feathers are not waterproof like other birds,
If I were to stay in water for too long,
They would drag me down and I would drown.
My feathers are different to other birds as they are soft and tailored more for silent flying.
And because my wings are large,
I can fly slowly.
Yes,
You are well known in the small animal kingdom for that.
We call you owls the silent predators of the night because you are capable of flying just inches from your prey without being detected.
Suddenly,
The rat became scared.
You're not looking to eat me,
Are you?
No,
Laughed Kledwin.
I've already eaten.
Besides,
You feel more like a friend to me as I often see you coming in and out of this garden.
Well,
Yes,
I have a very large family and I'm always searching for food.
We live under that greenhouse over there.
Ah,
I thought so,
Said Kledwin.
That's where I always see you coming out of.
We have 10 babies at the moment,
Announced the rat.
But last month we had 14.
Wow,
That's a lot,
Said Kledwin.
Female owls breed once a year and lay only three to four eggs.
I can't imagine feeding more than that in one go.
We rats quickly multiply,
The rat said proudly.
We can breed from five weeks old and have about 12 litters a year.
But we only live a short life,
Up to two years.
That's why we like having a large family.
Did you know there are more rats than humans?
But because we live underground,
You can't see all of us at once.
Oh,
Thank goodness for that,
Murmured Kledwin under his breath.
He didn't like the thought of seeing that many rats running around at one time.
Well,
I can't hang around here all night chatting,
Said the rat as he ran down the tree trunk.
See you soon,
And he ran off,
Disappearing under the greenhouse.
Kledwin was quite enjoying his chats with the animals.
He was learning so much.
Eagerly he searched the garden for more visitors,
But all was quiet and still.
He was just about to stretch his wings and fly around the garden when he heard a noise.
Turning his head to look,
He saw a pile of black rubbish bags begin to move.
They had been stacked in the far corner of the garden.
As one bag fell to the ground,
A red fox appeared.
He obviously could smell something tasty inside,
And he began to rip the bag apart.
Having fun over there,
Said Kledwin out loud.
The fox looked up and spotted the owl in the tree.
Is it any of your business?
She snapped,
Annoyed at being disturbed.
Well,
Not really,
I suppose,
Replied the owl,
But you are making a mess of this garden in your search for something.
I can smell food,
And I'm hungry,
The fox grumbled.
Can't you just eat bugs and things like a normal animal?
Why should I be bothered with hunting when I can eat tasty leftovers from humans?
Well,
I guess that's true,
Said Kledwin,
Especially if you aren't a fussy eater.
I am quite a fussy eater,
And I prefer my food fresh.
Why do you live?
Asked Kledwin,
Not sure that the fox really wanted to talk,
But he was curious.
I live in a den not far from here,
Answered the fox,
And she continued to dig around in the bag until she eventually found some scraps of discarded food.
There was only a couple of mouthfuls,
Hardly worth all the effort it took for her to get them.
She rummaged a little longer and then gave up.
There's nothing more left in here for me to eat,
She said,
Before running off,
Leaving a mess behind her.
Hmm,
Thought Kledwin.
She didn't seem very friendly at all.
Maybe she was having a bad day.
When I have a bad day,
I don't feel like interacting with anyone.
I hope she feels better tomorrow.
I wonder what was wrong with her.
He didn't have time to ponder for long before a badger wandered into the garden.
Kledwin watched him.
At first,
The badger snuffled around in the flowerbed,
But didn't seem satisfied with what he found there.
With his snout to the ground,
He moved away and eventually stopped in the middle of the lawn and sniffed for a few seconds before he began digging up the grass with his strong front claws.
What are you looking for?
Asked Kledwin.
The badger continued digging and didn't look up.
I'm looking for grubs,
He said nonchalantly.
He stopped digging and began eating some grubs he had found in the soil.
You've made a right mess of that lawn,
Said Kledwin.
I could make more of a mess if I dig a burrow to sleep in tonight,
Said the badger,
Not bothered at all by what he had done.
But I have a very comfortable home in a nearby field.
We call it a set and there are 10 of us living there.
It's very warm and cosy.
Actually,
Come to think of it,
I think it's time I went home for my nap.
I'm suddenly feeling quite tired.
It's my birthday today.
I am 10 years old.
That's quite an old age for us badgers to live.
Happy birthday,
Said Kledwin kindly.
We owls only live about five years.
That's quite a short time really compared to you.
Well,
Make sure you enjoy every day,
Said the badger.
That's how I've always lived my life.
Try not to worry about things and doing what makes me happy.
Good advice,
Said Kledwin.
See you around,
Said the badger and he was gone.
Kledwin thought about only living a short life.
He didn't tend to worry too much about things and he felt quite happy most of the time.
He was happy being in this garden as there was always lots of activity and he realised watching what other creatures were doing also made him happy.
He stretched his wings before making himself comfortable on his branch.
I feel quite happy with my life,
He said to himself,
And I'm especially happy learning all this new information about other creatures.
At that moment,
He heard a fluttering noise as a bat appeared suddenly from the night sky.
The bat hung upside down on a branch and said,
Are you talking to yourself?
As a matter of fact,
I was,
Replied Kledwin,
But it would be nice to talk to you.
That would be nice,
Said the bat.
What do you want to talk about?
Tell me about yourself,
Said Kledwin.
I see you can fly and you have wings,
But you look strange.
Are you a bird?
No,
I'm a mammal,
Said the bat.
I am the only mammal who can actually fly.
My wings are different to yours as they are much thinner and consist of more bones.
And you don't have any feathers,
Kledwin pointed out.
That is correct,
Said the bat.
I have fur and you have feathers.
I have teeth and you have a beak.
Just then,
There was a loud barking noise as the lights went on inside the house.
The owner opened the door and his dog went running into the garden and over to the tree where Kledwin and the bat were perched.
The dog barked loudly as he jumped up the tree trunk as high as he could on his back legs.
Rufus,
Keep the noise down,
His owner whispered loudly.
With all the commotion,
The bat flew away and Kledwin decided that this was a good time for him to stretch his wings.
He slowly and gracefully rose up on the branch,
Spread out his wings and took flight.
Rufus stopped barking,
A little miffed that the animals had left.
He turned and cocked his leg up the tree and then wandered back towards the house,
Stopping to sniff where the badger had dug up the lawn.
Come on,
Rufus,
Said his owner impatiently.
It's still the middle of the night and I'm tired.
Rufus done as he was told and went indoors.
The owner shut the door,
Turned the lights off and they went back to bed.
And in the garden,
All was quiet.
Thanks for listening to my story.
I hope you enjoyed it.
Before you go,
I'd like to ask you a question.
What animals do you think visit your garden at night?
Thanks again for listening and come back soon to hear another story from Grandma.
Bye for now.
4.9 (95)
Recent Reviews
.%blackin%.
January 5, 2025
I don’t have a garden. It’s always snowing where I live, but it would be nice to have one.
.%blackout%.
January 5, 2025
I dont have a backyard ∩――――∩ || ∧ ﾍ || || (* ´ ｰ`) ZZzz |ﾉ^⌒⌒づ`￣ ＼ ( ノ ⌒ ヽ ＼ ＼ ||￣￣￣￣￣|| ＼,ﾉ||
Eva
January 1, 2025
I love it A cat named Grace who is so cute and once a peacock came I live in Dubai so this was very strange but it turned out it was somebody’s pet peacock!!!🦚 Are you still making stories??? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000%10 LOVE THE NEW STORY (: ps my name is MIA not Eva thats my mum :) ONE AGAIN ILOVE IT ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Also spot the difference ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️💋❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ I have a joke for you to tell your friends Prson 1 NOCK NOCK Person 2 WHO’S THERE Person 1 BOO Person 2 BOO WHO person 1 Aww don’t cry it’s just a joke Person 2 HAHAHA AGAIN GREAT STORY DONT FORGET MY name is Mia Spot the difference 🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦇🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉 🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉 Don’t forget my name is / l /l l /l / l/ l l / l / l l /—-l / l l / l / l l / l NOT EVA I LOVE It ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Please make a new story!!! ARE YOU STILL MAKING STORIES???🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️📚🤨 🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️🫥📖📚 I live in Dubai but I am from Spain 🇪🇸 and Australia 🇦🇺
Harper
December 12, 2024
Flyes, Toads, Frogs, Crickets, Possums, Cats, Lizards, Mosquitoes And Bats. Edit: In my front yard I have Kangeroos, Toads, Lizards, Flies, Mosquitoes And Bats. Edit: I have a lot of visitors because I live in Australia 🇦🇺. I am going to right my jurnal now... 11 December 2024... Tod ay I learned how to do French knitting, and then my dad picked me my sister and my mum up from my mums house to go to a dog breeders house to choose a puppy 🐶 and we chose the one with the orange 🟧 collar. I am still wearing the clothes that I wore when we went to the puppys🤣! They where Cavoodle puppy ( Cavalier king charles / Poodle) Then we went to look at Christmas lights. Merry Christmas! U^ェ^U U^ェ^U U^ェ^U U^ェ^U U^ェ^U U^ェ^U U^ェ^U Find the odd one out, Christmas Addition! 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎍🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 Edit: Hi I'm back and this I my third edit. I LOVE MY SISTER!!! I'm a bit like the rat because I can breath underwater, but I'm still working on my power, and my spirit animal is a wolf 🐺, not a rat! my small story that is made up. Nate stood at the door barking loudly to get mum to wake up. Nate said " Yay! My human is awake!" Mum said " Fine, I'll let you outside, Nate." Nate raced Tin outside, Tina said " Since I'm a cat, I won't race." Then Nat said " And since I'm a dog I will race!" Nate ran right into the door he was so exited! Mum opened the door and Grace tried to run inside. Nate said " Ohh! Hi, Grace, Do you want to race to that tree and back!?" Grace barked " YEEEEEEEEEEESS!" And started running super fast, Nate tried to cach up and said " Grace! Since you're a Great Dane, you can run faster!!!" Grece didn't hear as she dashed along the lush green grass. Toffie was watching in from a nearby tree in the neighbors backyard and chirped in a cheer full voice " Goodmorning, Grace and Nate." The two replied with a friendly hello. Then they heard mum feeding Tina, and Nate ran inside to eat Tina's food. He quickly gobbled the poor cats food down, and dragged the food bowl by his food bowl. When the cats bowl was full again, Nate get Tina's food, in the middle of eating the food mum shouted " Oi! Nate, stop that, that's Tina's food!" Mum snatched the bowl refilled it and gave it to Tina. Tina's bowl was a beautiful pink with Tina ritten in gold Wrighting on the side. Once Tina was done, Nate get the rest of her food. Then dad got up and said " Hi, Hony. Hi, Nate. Hi, Grace. Hi, Tina. Poppy will be down soon." All of a sudden... Poppy flew down the stairs and gently perched herself on Nates back. Nate started running around crazily while saying " GET IT OF, GET IT OF, GET IT OF NNNOOOWWW!!!" Tina said " I l♡VE this, L♡VE it." Grace broke threw the door and grabbed the bird with her moth and played with it like it was a toy. Dad grabbed Grace and grabbed Poppy and got mum to open Grace's mouth. When thy got Poppy thy put Grace under the stairs in a dark spot. They put Poppy outside. Poppy chatted with Toffie. Nate chatted with Grace. And Tina just slept in a sunny spot.
Rebekah
September 26, 2024
👍🏻😍🥰🦇🦉🦊🐶🐻🦇🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐢🐢🐢🐢🐍🐍🐍🐍🐊🐊🐊🐊🐊🦔🐀🐁
Winnie
July 25, 2024
This story was amazing!! And to answer your question: Moseley birds. Probably magpies. Also this adorable baby rabbit named Basil! She likes to eat our clover! Violet
Hannah
July 24, 2024
Awesome job٫ also I think there would be a deer or a rabbit maybe a bird. ⠀ ｡ﾟﾟ･｡･ﾟﾟ｡ ﾟ。 ｡ﾟ ﾟ･｡･ﾟ ︵ ︵ ( ╲ / / ╲ ╲/ / ╲ ╲ / ╭ ͡ ╲ ╲ ╭ ͡ ╲ ╲ ﾉ ╭ ͡ ╲ ╲ ╱ ╲ ╲ ╱ ╲ ╱ ︶
Charlotte
July 24, 2024
Birds,squirrels and chipmunks 🐿️ And maybe the occasional snake or something It’s kinda the only time they can go out safely cause my cat,Gracie,goes out all day and hunts them Ps it was awsome