New Family Moved In To Our Yard!

This morning, while I was out in the back yard checking the feeders, I noticed that five CAROLINA CHICKADEES, four NORTHERN CARDINALS and several TUFTED TITMOUSE were going nuts around the EASTERN SCREECH OWL house. My friend Adam Whitaker put it up for me last winter. We had a bad ice storm last winter that sheared off the entire side of the tallest pine tree in our back yard. I thought it would make a nice location for an nest box.I thought for sure that squirrels or HOUSE SPARROWS would use it, but held out little hope that we'd actually get owls! Around here, it's all house sparrows these days. Even my numbers of WHITE THROATED SPARROWS in the yard are down. I wonder if the OWL or the local feral cat population is more to blame?A bit later, I went out back to do some whistling. My OWL impersonations leave a little to be desired. Low and behold what pops up to investigate the bad whistling but a red morph EASTERN SCREECH OWL! What is that red-headed owl doing in my back yard? Crazy.I will keep you posted on the family. I think I'll hurry and get another house up on the other side of the property. I've heard that the Daddy Owl likes to be able to watch over his woman's nest from an opposing nest box.Such fun. Owl about that!!

-Dan