The river and sky were blue at twilight

Jake and I stood on the edge of the river at twighlight and watched the Sliver Moon rise this morning.

The Sliver Moon did not get to rise very high before it was swallowed by Dawn.

Osric Owl. Nora and Osric

Cranetrail

Quite A Surprise

After we came home last night, I opened the door to the bedroom and there was a bird flying around in the dark. Before I could turn on the bedroom light, it flew into the bathroom. When I turned on the light in the bathroom, it was a Western Screech Owl. 

I offered my hand like I do to our birds, and told him to step up. He stepped up onto my hand with his sharp claws and iron grip. I lifted him up and he hopped over to the towel rack where we photographed him. I stroked his feathers behind his head while I talked to him, and then checked to see if he was injured.  He did not seem to be injured, so I put on a glove and tried to get him to step onto my gloved hand so I could take him outside and let him go.  He did not like the glove, and bit it while he held tightly onto the towel rack. I finally got him into a sweater box, covered it with the towel, and took him outside to let him go. He refused to fly out of the box, so I offered my hand, he stepped up on it, I lifted him toward the sky, ad he flew off.

It’s a real mystery how he got into our bedroom. He had to get on the deck, which he could through the 4-inch vents near the top of the roof. Then he would have to get through two cat doors to get to the bedroom. Even though screech owls are small, I believe he is too large for a cat to carry in through the cat doors without the cat getting injured by the owl’s sharp claws and iron grip, and the owl getting injured by the cat. 

I think like Spunk disappearing for a month, Sasquatch and the scoop shovel, the Screech Owl in the bedroom will remain a mystery.

Screechy is a handsome little guy. Not happy with il paparazzo taking pics of him.

Laurie’s GIF gives you a sense of scale. He is full grown. He started to relax and closed one eye while I stroked him.