A beautiful Eastern Screech Owl couple! 3/16/2024.

It was an absolute pleasure watching these Eastern Screech owls as they shared their roosting spot. From their size and behavior, I am guessing that the gray morph is the female and the rufous morph is the male since the gray seems to be substantially larger, however, one can never be sure until they are on eggs. The female of the species is usually one-third larger than the male, and she also is primarily responsible for incubating the eggs in the chosen cavity. There was a story to this couple on this particular day as is told in my photos,

and it all had to do with a nosy squirrel. The rufous owl was getting fresh air while the gray was down below but a squirrel got very close and the rufous made a hasty retreat. The gray slowly came back up and eventually the rufous resurfaced as if to say, "Is it gone?" and "Thank you!". I know I am anthropomorphizing, but she seemed to have a tolerant expression on her face as the he resurfaced. Too funny! There is also another gray a half mile down the road that some have surmised is the same, but nope. Both were seen within two minutes of each other so, unless they have an underground tunnel, they are two separate individuals... It is about time for nesting and our owls will no longer share a roost so attention is not drawn to the eggs. Our rufous male will bring snacks to his mate and roost nearby, but it is not known if this spot is the chosen one. :)