And Here It Is...!

The original...

Here it is!

   Don't feel bad if you couldn't find it at first. Like I said earlier, when Jeff showed me the photo, I knew it was there but I couldn't find it either. We've been watching this owl for about a week, it's probably been there a bit longer, we're not sure. This is likely the source of the screech heard at daybreak a few times last month, not a barn owl as was originally suspected. We feel truly fortunate to have this owl here and be able to view it on occasion, I've only seen Screech Owls a few times. We're definitely trying to leave it alone so it doesn't get spooked and leave the area. Here's a couple of other pictures of the same owl from a different day and different angle.

I think it's smiling!

This is not the first time an Eastern Screech Owl has occupied this hole. Several years ago, likely a different owl was spotted here, but it didn't hang around as long.

Ever since, we've made certain that we take a look at the hole any time we're nearby, just to see if someone might be looking back at us.