ANNIE BRAHLER TURNS
he cast iron lever, gives it a slight nudge, and swings open the window of a second-story bedroom. Leaning out above a box brimming with cascading pink and blue flowers, she points in the direction of a tall evergreen, her blonde tresses tumbling down the back of her navy-blue blazer. Halfway up the tree is a wooden box with a small square opening. It's one of two birdhouses that Brahler and husband, Charlie Smith, built for the barred owls that nest, hunt, and keep watch on the property. The couple recently discovered three fledgling owls on the cottage grounds. The neighborhood has embraced
