Olive returns, version 2

Olive is back!!  After she departed the last time (around Feb 4), I put the ladder up against the nest box tree and checked inside the box. With no evidence of anything, I decided to, once again, leave the door slightly open, hoping to discourage any squatting squirrels. Yesterday I climbed the ladder to make sure there was no evidence of squirrels in the box. As I approached the bottom of the ladder, I looked up to be sure of my position and saw 2 small yellow eyes gazing down on me.  (As an aside, I must tell you that my self-control has become astonishingly strong!)  I did smile as I walked away, but when I got to the bedroom door, I opened it and hollered at Ivan to come see.  She must have bestowed her charming gaze on him too because his smile was as big as mine!
        Last night we were lucky to see - and photograph - her! She was in the opening at 5:57PM and flew away at 6:00PM! I managed to digiscope 4 photos, 3 of which are very blurry. The one below is the only one that's in focus. She was either hallucinating, or she was watching some small thing on the ground right under the box.
        I'll resume posting on the blog. As you know, we're entering the breeding time for Western Screech Owls in this neck of the woods. Having been unaware of their presence last year, I have no idea what to expect. If she stops coming to the opening, especially in mid-March, she could be on eggs. What a wonderful opportunity that would be for us to learn a bit more about these charming birds! Stay tuned!

Feb. 13, 2011 - Gone . . . again

On Feb. 2, Olive never came into the opening of the box. I hoped that she was having a sleep-over somewhere and, when I checked the next afternoon, there she was!  I was delighted that she was still residing in the box. The next night, however, she was absent once again.  And the next night, and the next night, etc. Yesterday, around 2:30PM, on a beautiful warm sunny day, I decided to look in the box and was disappointed, but not really surprised, to see the box empty. So, the long and short of it is that we have not seen Olive since Feb. 4 - a total of 9 nights. Nor have we heard any WSO's calling. Not being a WSO biologist, I don't really know what all this means. Is Olive still alive? Was the owl in the box really a female? Or might it have been a new male who was merely checking out the suitability of the box for a mate? If the owl in the box was really Olive, who, last year, nested successfully somewhere other than that box, might she have returned to her successful nest site? I have no answers.
So, I guess we just watch and wait. We've had a lot of wind lately and the ground under the redwoods is a mess. I'll try to clean up that area as slowly as I can so I can spend a lot of time watching for any signs of owl nests in those trees. I left the door to the box a bit open so the squirrels don't try to take over the box. Should we learn anything more about these charming owls, I'll post it here immediately.