Screech Owl

[Wanderer]

So far this year I've posted about the woodchuck in my barn and the raccoon that had a litter there. I'm pleased to post today that I finally got a welcome visitor in the barn. My wife was doing chores friday evening about 8:00 P.M. While she was working in the horse stall, she was startled by an Eastern Screech Owl that flew down from the rafters and landed on a couple of 2 X 6's that I had stacked against the wall. Our son, who was visiting at the time, was also in the barn then and he came back to the house to get his phone to take a picture. I walked back out with him expecting to be told that the owl had flown out the window. The critter was still there and didn't mind when I walked up closer, then climbed up on my tractor to get a better picture. We probably spent 15 minutes in the barn after that and it just sat on that board and looked around. We left and turned the lights out. Saturday evening we returned again about 8:00 P.M. to muck out the stall and feed "the blue eyed witch". We looked all around and decided that the owl had found it's way out. I was strolling around the barn and noticed that my mower deck on the John Deere had several "whitewash" spots on it and there were feathers on the tractor seat. There is an old trash can sitting there and it was streaked with owl crap. I looked up into the rafters on the west side and there it was, sleeping atop one of the beams. I couldn't even see it's head. After awhile, it woke up and watched me while I took a couple more pictures of it. This is the closest I've ever been to an owl and it's pretty cool. I hope that he/she sticks around to enjoy the mouse population that I'm sure we have in the barn.

[Jslotter]

That is nice. Last bow season, I was up in my tree stand one evening before dark. And out of no where a Barred owl landed on a branch about 5 feet from me. It scared the crap out of me. He stood on his perch for about 5 minutes looking at me, then some blue jays got all flipped out and chased him out of there. It was neat to see a bird you rarely ever get a chance to see up close...

[kellory]

Looks like you got yourselves a mascot! Good luck with that. Last year in my tree stand, I had a falcon land within about 20 feet, and facing the wrong way. He never knew I was there, but I watched him scanning the ground for about 20 minutes. Sometimes have squirrels drop in close. Some see me, some don't. Kinda fun to be that close, and unobserved.

[Ohio farms]

Very cool Wanderer. Last year we had a red shouldered hawk nest in our oak tree in the front yard. Raised 2 chicks. Lots of feathers and partially eaten birds in the yard. Watched the young fletch.
I'm sure most all of us who sit in trees have had close encounters of a third kind with various wildlife. I think it is very unique to deer hunters. Always exciting when it happens.

[Sailfish]

That is nice. Last bow season, I was up in my tree stand one evening before dark. And out of no where a Barred owl landed on a branch about 5 feet from me. It scared the crap out of me. He stood on his perch for about 5 minutes looking at me, then some blue jays got all flipped out and chased him out of there. It was neat to see a bird you rarely ever get a chance to see up close...

Pretty much had the same thing happen to me last year, cept it was about 20' and I saw him fly in.
What scared me though, was after about 5-6 minutes of me watching him, darkness was getting closer, I turned my head for but a second SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH

Skeered me darn near off my climber