What does a wise screech owl do on a cold day?
February 09, 2011
On a freezing cold day, a wise screech owl tucks itself into a cozy owl box…
…fluffs out its feathers to stay warm…
…and wonders what the crazy human is doing outside without a coat or shoes.
All material © 2006-2011 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
Pretty darned adorable in an Owl sort of way.
A gardener has to do what a gardener has to do~without shoes and coat~ to get a good shot of a owl!
My favorite post of the day. Delightful!
Pam,
Love these photos! It is right, don’t you think. Ever hear them call, sounds like a horse. I spent two month remodeling this empty house, the owners called me and said a screech owl is now living on the back porch, I never saw or heard one…
Yes, they definitely do make a whinnying sound. They also trill. I’ve never heard them make a screech though. —Pam
Very cute owl. I never knew they lived in a box until I saw it first on your blog.
The eastern screech owl is quite small, Donna, and can nest in a (rather large) box. I’ve never heard of the great horned owl nesting in a box, however. Can you imagine the size it would have to be? They must nest higher in the canopy anyway. —Pam
I hope he is really toasty in there!
that is the cutest owl I have ever seen…I may have to get another bird house and this one for a cute little owl..
Love it. Have you ever done a post on screech owl habitat and how you managed to bring them into your yard?
I’ve posted about our owl box numerous times over the past 2 years, Greg. But we’ve heard screech owls and great horned owls in the back yard since the day we moved in; they were already here. I can tell you, from my own research, that screech owls hunt and nest under the tree canopy and dine mainly on rodents, lizards, moths, and other insects. They thrive across much of the U.S. in urban and suburban areas, and they seem to be quite easy to attract with an owl box; plans for making your own can be found on the Audubon website. We waited a year for owls to take up residence in our owl box, but our biggest challenge has been keeping squirrels out of it. —Pam
He looks kind of disgruntled!
Wise Owl!! Maybe a little wiser than the photographer without her winter clothes…lol
That explains how you get all those great shots! No common sense. Fab photos! He is all puffy and rotund peering out of that little box. Aren’t you glad he has a nice warm home – I’m sure he popped out to say, “thank you!”
He’s too shy for thank-yous, Diana. We are seeing him on cold afternoons napping in the doorway, but he keeps one eye open, and if we approach too quickly he drops into the bottom of the box. But generally he’ll reappear if we’re just puttering quietly in the garden, and then he’ll allow a few pics from the paparazzi. —Pam
Were you barefoot? We have tons of snow so none of us are going barefoot here. Oh, to go without shoes again. I love your screech owl. Love him.~~Dee
I was sock-footed, Dee, and it was too cold to be without shoes. But I didn’t want to miss him this time. —Pam
Lucky us having the crazy human out there taking photos on such a day.
Oh my, he looks so cold. Maybe you could invite him in on the porch. lol He does look like he could stand some warmth, like Spring.
How wonderful! He does look a little chilly, and a tad disapproving too.