This morning I had a different feathered visitor in my duck house. Apparently an owl didn’t like the snow but liked the shelter the duck house provided. The owl perched in the opening for about 4 hours, starting a few hours before sunrise watching for a snack. Then it napped until after sunset before leaving the box and I wonder if it will return tomorrow morning after a night of hunting.
Owl in Duck House
Yesterday when I was driving from work, I spotted an owl sitting in a tree which was probably a Barred Owl from the glimpse I had of it. The Barred Owl is twice the size of this little red morph variety of the Eastern Screech-Owl. When I took this picture, this owl was napping in the sun but today it would have been catching snowflakes instead.
Eastern Screech-Owl
This owl must have heard about all the food at the state fair on a stick as it seemed to be licking bugs off the car antenna like it was “bugs on a stick” treat. This was before it started a staredown with me and I think the owl cheated and turned its head when it was going to blink.
Great Horned Owl
Watch the owl enjoy bugs on a stick and staredown match.
The other night what I thought was a cat on the side of the road, turned out to be an owl but between the darkness and the few seconds before it flew off, I didn’t determine what type of owl it was. This red morph Eastern Screech Owl would not have had the sun getting in his eyes today while it napped during the day.
Owl Nap Time
This Eastern Screech Owl didn’t appreciated the cold, snowy Easter either as it was trying to nap in the bouncing tree branch. I would have been seasick the way the branch was swaying but the owl seemed to manage to nap and would only open its eyes if I hooted loud enough.
But this owl normally sleeps in the day and emerges from its roost at dusk to hunt insects and other small prey. The Eastern Screech-Owl’s color ranges from gray to brown to reddish. The chicks in a nest may be different colors.
Screech Owl
