Guests at the house

Well, as I told you we've been enjoying an owl family in our yard for the past several days. We made a startling discovery about them last night. It seems that they actually nested IN the house! Screech owls are cavity nesters. We made a discovery the other night when we noticed that the vent over the attic was gone and a gaping hole to the whole outside world was there. We could have squirrels or bats or any other kind of creature up there. Hmmm. Ron fixed it last night and when he shined his light inside he discovered a big nest! Owls. No one was at home and he proceeded to take the nest out and put the vent back in. The owls had fledged anyway and they had no doubt enjoyed a warm, dry nesting place. They had probably made sure that no squirrels or bats had taken up residence. So for that they were more than welcome! They were not too messy and they were certainly quiet. Good guests. (I guess) see more here

Owls and fireflies

For the past 3 days we have been enjoying an owl family in our back yard. We have the parents and four babies fluttering around our backyard pine trees. The neighborhood birds go crazy when they're around so we know about when to look. Babies sit in the tree and bob back and forth. Parents flutter around encouraging and trilling. We've decided that they're Screech owls-an owl that generally lives in town. It's a thrill to watch them.

The fireflies are out and about, too. So you can tell we've been sitting outdoors on our back deck taking in the summer.