Our Backyard Screech Owl!

March came in like an OWL at our house! There had been no sign of the Eastern Screech Owl in the backyard nesting box for the past 6 weeks. Starlings had been using the box and we didn't know if the owl would return. Despite the -19 degree weather with Saturday's wind chill, the sun came out and the little guy welcomed the warmth on his feathers. The next few photos show the owl during a 15 second stretch! (The photos were taken through 2 panes of glass windows.)

Pure Bliss!!

Smaller birds like Chickadees will often "sound the alarm" to warn others about the presence of owls. A couple of Black-capped Chickadees were agitated upon realizing a predator had taken up temporary residence in the yard. It chose to ignore the chickadees during its daytime slumber.

Eastern Screech Owls eat many small animals, including birds and mammals as well as large numbers of earthworms, insects, crayfish, tadpoles, frogs and even lizards! When prey is plentiful, Eastern Screech-Owls cache extra food in tree holes for as long as four days. 

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eastern_Screech-Owl/id

It was a windy day as you can see in the video! Eastern Screech Owls can be either mostly gray or mostly reddish-brown. Whatever the overall colour, they are patterned with complex bands and spots that give the bird excellent camouflage against tree bark.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eastern_Screech-Owl/id

Eastern Screech Owls are short, stocky birds with a large head and almost no neck. Pointed ear tufts are often raised, giving it a distinctive silhouette.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eastern_Screech-Owl/id 

I took this photo from our driveway. He almost had half of us body out of the cavity, taking full advantage of the sunshine!