There was a movement just outside the kitchen window, and I looked up to see this baby owl flutter down onto the crook that is supposed to hold a bird feeder. He didn’t look entirely comfortable, and had his back to me. Once in a while, he would spin his head around, and one time, I was quick enough to push the shutter in time.
Not long after, he got tired of balancing on there and made the short flight over to the eucalyptus tree. The cactus wrens had been putting up a fuss earlier this morning, but now they went totally berserk. YIKES – there is a huge beast in our tree! EEEEEK!
The owl took the hint and flapped off down the alley, where he then annoyed the Chihuahuan Ravens that were down there. Not sure what he was doing, but the ravens were circling their wagons, presumably in an attempt to roust him out of their territory.
Update: The owl just zoomed by the window, heading over the top of the house. He’s no doubt looking for more hospitable territory to spend some time. It’s only 3:30 in the afternoon, so he has some time before dusk starts to fall, and they commence their serious hunting.
Adventures of Dorrie Anne 
He’s a great looking bird. Owls look so intelligent, giving rise to the phrase “wise old owl”.
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He took the hint from the cactus wrens. He had probably been around this morning, too. His family lives down the street by the office in the big pine trees.
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Wow, well done and tack sharp.
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Thanks! I was pretty pleased considering I was shooting through the kitchen window!
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How gorgeous! I once saw a hoot owl up close, but I wasn’t quick enough to get a pic.
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There is a whole family of them that seem to be here year round now. They formerly seemed to show up only in the cooler weather. I’m pretty sure this is one of the babies.
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FANtastic photo! An award winner!
Update at our digs: Peg leg (the name of our bluejay with one leg), who stashes the peanuts we toss to him, now has a squirrel extracting those nuts. It’s a turf battle!
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Clever li’l devil that squirrel! He no doubt learned his cleverness from you! ;->
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Great photo and lovely story! 🙂
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These guys really keep me on my toes around here!
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Nice catch! You ended up with a great picture.
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Thanks. He had no idea how fun that was for me!
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You are capturing some great wildlife shots!
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It’s that south-facing window! ;->
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Didn’t know you had Chihuahuan Ravens there. It was a lifer for me when I went on the bird trip with the birding festival. Fred has never seen one. Very cool about the owl. Must be the youngin from the nest by the office, yes?
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I don’t know from birds, as you know, and I always thought they were Sonoran ravens, but someone (I think it was Bert Frenz) told me that it is likely that they are Chihuahuan ravens. I wouldn’t know one from the other, but they are REALLY, REALLY big! Yah, I assume “our” owl is from that nest. It definitely is not the same one that was here before. This one looks like a “baby”, and the other one looked like a adult. But again, my bird knowledge is zip. There are plenty of them around here, but they seem to come and go – not here all the time.
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Look at those big eyes! You get to see lovely things all the time, Judilyn. How cool.
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Mostly he faced away from me, the rascal, but I caught him doing his “head whirl” thing once.
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I love the eyes. They look piercing, and the feathers look pretty too. What a great shot. Never seen an owl in my environs!
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He was really kind of frantic. The other birds were giving him a hard time.
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