Elizabeth was startled the other day, when she opened the back door to the garage and this little guy flew off a shelf in front of her. It flew from one side to a perch on the other side, and after composing herself, I was called to see our unexpected guest. Quickly grabbing my trusty Sony DSC-HX1 camera, I shot these pictures. This is the stuff made for rainy (or sunny) day blog entries.
Leaving the mystery as to how Woodsy the Owl got into our garage, the immediate object was to shoo him (or her, as I'm not sure if this was Woodsy or Woodamina) away from the garage and back out into the wild. I opened the double garage door, but he simply moved from his second perch to a low table (where I took a better picture). Not really sure just how this raptor would react, I got a yardstick length piece of wood to urge him away. After about four close pokes without touching, he finally took the hint and flew under the open garage door and off to a more natural surrounding. Probably the live oak trees in the woods behind our condo, or perhaps to share the cormorant roosts in the Aussie Pines by the golf course. Wherever, as long as it wasn't my garage.
We later consulted the trusty Audubon guide and determined he was an Eastern Screech Owl, whose height (8-10 inches) matched, as well as the coloration. We have added him to the list of strange birds who have visited recently - Ripley was not introduced to this story, as he has his paws full with barking at squirrels, ducks, Canada geese, and of course the swans. Owls for now shall remain a topic for mice and men, but not little beagle boys.
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