The Owl's Visit

I'm not completely sure, but I think the owl in the picture to the right is the owl that is showing up lately around my house.  Okay, well, not that exact owl, but one of the same breed, which is a Common Barn Owl.

I mentioned in another blog recently that an owl flew screeching over me one night, and I've been witnessing them with increasing frequency.  Now, for the past two nights it has definitely made it's presence known, even to the point of getting my attention from indoors. 

The night before last I went out to my porch to write a letter to my daughter, whose in the Navy, and just as I sat down and got comfy, an owl flew in and landed on a stick poking out from the palm tree in the front yard.  It sat there looking at me, and I couldn't resist standing up and moving closer for a better look.  It watched me approach, then lifted off as I got nearly under it.  It flew in a circle, then landed again in the palm tree, but nearer the front.  It did the same thing twice more, then finally flew off into the night.

Last night I sat at my desk writing on the computer, when suddenly I heard a strange noise from outside.  It sounded close to what it sounds like when one of the cats gets hold of a bird for dinner, but deeper, and well, more twittery, if that's a word.  The front door is just to my right, so I got up and went outside to see what's what.  As I stepped outside I noticed one of the cats looking up at the palm tree that stands several feet from the front of the house.  The sound I heard to get me out there came again, and so I took a step to see what all the commotion was.  An owl was flying in circles around the top of the palm tree, making a deep twittering noise.  I thought I heard an answer, but wasn't sure, and couldn't see another one anyway.  I stood there watching for a few minutes when suddenly it flew off as another lifted up out of the tree to fly with him.

I've seen countless owls in my lifetime, but I have never witnessed a mating ritual.  Apparently, the male will flutter around like that, making that noise, (and I know this because I looked it up, and also found sound recordings, so it must be true, right? :), around the female who is planning on nesting in the spot she sits.  I can't imagine a palm tree being the ideal setting for an owl's nest, but then what do I know?  I'm just so excited that I got to witness what I did!  They were beautiful.

I don't know what's going on with all these owl sightings I've had recently, but I'm thinking it's seriously cool.  :)

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