Critters of North Idaho: The great gray owl

You’re a small rodent, perhaps a mouse or a vole. This past winter there was a several-inch-thick layer of snow covering the ground. Usually, you’d be forced to either come out at night or hide in the underbrush to avoid being spotted by hungry predators. But by burrowing a network of tunnels under the snow, you were able to run around and find food and shelter just out of sight. You thought you were pretty safe, but all of a sudden, your snow tunnel collapsed around you and you were grasped by sharp talons before being hoisted high into the air.