The Snack shack is officially occupied by a couple. Mr. and Mrs. Snacks are back together after their trial separation.
These owls have come, gone, appeared and disappeared like a chin hair so I hate to say that anything is official but ...
On Wednesday Mr. Snacks was in the roost as always waiting for dusk so he could fly off and scan the neighbourhood for meals that scurry.
He was gone from the box well before dusk that day which was curious ( this is me using well mannered language instead of my actual thought which was closer to are you kidding me, you bastard).
When I looked again Mrs. Snacks popped her head out of the box. Thursday the same thing happened with Mr. Snacks disappearing early and Mrs. Snacks taking his place in the roost.
I presume he goes off looking for food to bring back to her (Snacks trying to heave a full sized rat into the owl house for her is half the reason I want a video camera on them).
As it stands at the moment, at 2:56 p.m. on Friday as I write this, I have seen nothing in or around the box. Not a Mr. or a Mrs.
Snacks apparently didn't come home last night. Or he's hiding, watching the box from somewhere close. Owls are able to hide almost anywhere in nature without you noticing them because they're owls.
HOWEVER they have tricked me before so I'm going to stay cool. Chances are good that Mrs. Snacks is still in the box and Mr. Snacks is watching from afar or hunting for her dinner.
To fill the void we are currently experiencing at the nesting box, these are the photos of Mrs. Snacks when she reappeared last week.
The Many Faces of Mrs. Snacks
The Eastern Screech Owl and its many faces.
Would you like to save this stuff?
We'll email you this post, so you can refer to it later.
But if you want to see some extraordinary Vogueing, this next set are the photos you'll appreciate.
I've noticed these owls shape shift when they're scared.
I'm not sure what the owl logic is behind it but when they're content and sunning themselves they fluff their feathers out. Chickens do the same thing when they're relaxing in the sun or if they're cold and want to insulate themselves.
When she's (???) relaxed Mrs. Snacks is puffed up, her ears lay close to her head and her eyes are closed.
This is what Mrs. Snacks looks like when she's alarmed.
It is also how I look when I notice there's no owl on the roost.
I have returned my Wyze cameras by the way for two reasons. They're great little things but one of the cameras would not behave properly because I have a 5G network. Therefore I'm back to not having any idea of what's going on in the box unless I'm looking at it from this comfortable position.
Sterling, who I was watching for the day, watching me watch the owl box.
I'll keep you updated on all the completely official, unofficial news.
Alana
So I found out through reading various owl books that I ordered, that the male will move to a different (farther) site when the female’s on the nest (!!!) so as not to give the nest away to predators. When the eggs hatch after about a month, he’ll move closer and *face* the opening of the nest to guard and protect the nestlings.
I, too, have a pair! But they seldom come out when it’s bright enough to photograph anything but varying blurry shades of grey.
Mike Flegle
This is an after-the-fact comment to yesterday’s post. I love kids’ art and folk/outsider/self-taught art. This falls into those categories and reminds me of the Snacks and their shack.
Mandy Rose
I just love you, Karen! Thank you for this ❤️