Screech Owl Sightings

by Henry Lopez, Dr. Ulysses Klee, Merry
(Burlington, Lakeside, Southern Ontario)

Henry Lopez from Burlington wrote ... My wife and I were sitting out in our backyard one late summer evening whhen an owl came and perched on a small rotten branch of a birch tree about six feet from our bird feeder. This was the first time that both have ever seen an owl in the wild, so it was a very exiting experience. I was lucky enough to go and get my binoculars and able to get a really good look at it. ever since I have seen it two other times in the same spot and am even thinking to build it a home. Unfortunately I have not be able to take a picture since its usually dark when it comes.

Dr Ulysses Klee from Lakeside wrote ... On the evening of October 3rd at around 10 pm, I heard a strange whinnying sound coming from outside. We have raccoons, possums and hawks in the neighborhood but this sounded very different. I grabbed my flashlight and searched our big maple where the sound seemed to be coming from. After a minute of two, a bird swooped silently towards my right and disappeared into the night. Hey ... that rhymes.

Merry wrote to report ... For about five or six months we have had an Eastern Screech Owl in residence in a cavity of a very old white birch tree close to the lake. Its hole faces the house so we can easily see when he/she is sitting in the opening. It has been calling for weeks but we haven't been aware of a mate anywhere. It has not been visible nor have we heard it calling for over a week. We wonder if it is still there. We also have foxes prowling around!

Thank you for telling us about your Screech Owl sightings, I'm sure our readers will enjoy them as much as I have!

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