In 2008, we put up a Screech Owl nest box in our back yard. Last summer we were thrilled to realize that a pair of Western Screech Owls had indeed nested in our yard, but not in the box. They used the box, just not for eggs and young. This blog follows their life in our yard, and, sometimes, in their box. We named the female, Olive and her mate, Oliver. I hope you will enjoy reading the ongoing story of this charming family.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Up Early

Yesterday, at 5:18PM, I was beginning to think about preparing dinner. I thought about checking to see if Olive was in the opening of her box. I scoffed at the notion, mostly because she has been appearing later and later each afternoon. Normally she would be in the opening around 5:30, but I thought I'd give a look - and there she was! She held her eyes in a squint and looked around very slowly, so I figured she had just awakened, but what made her come out when there was still so much light was a mystery. I dashed into the house, grabbed my little camera and digiscoped 2 photos of her. Really, there's no news today - just a photo. She did do something I thought to be odd, though. In the space of less than one minute, at 5:38PM, she wiggled around in the opening, made herself very thin and popped back into the box. About a nanosecond later, she hopped up into the opening, looked around quickly, then flew straight out of the box into the redwoods! Not sure what that was all about, but I guess she has her own reasons. Hope you like the photo!
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