"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands........" 1 Thessalonians 4:11

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Beside the chicken yard and the zinnia garden

stands the garden well house........
so weathered from  age and harsh weather..........
and in much need 

of repair on the outside......and inside.

Through the weak spots, something has found it's way to live in the well house 
every year.
 Last year it was nest of baby raccoon along with a large assortment of rats, mice and snakes.
We finally got supplies gathered and were planning on repairing and sealing off the well house........ 
(photo found on the internet)

until the other night, Sophie and I , with flashlight in hand ,
 followed a strange clucking noise.........out to the well house.
Sitting on top of it's roof were a pair of beautiful barn/ screech owls. As I walked up and shone the light on them, they stayed still for just a few moments, before spreading their wings and screeching as they flew away. These owls have been here every year and I enjoy getting a glimpse of them. As Sophie and I turned back toward the house, one of the owls returned to the roof of the well house.
The next day, I had gone inside to turn on the pump , when I heard a soft clucking and squeaking above in the rafters......hidden by the remaining sheet rock.. 


(photo found on the internet)
I realized that we now have a nest of baby barn owls!  I am thrilled!
As much as I want to get a ladder and look into the hole for a great photo,
I don't dare.......because I don't want the mother to abandon her babies.
So now we are waiting for "babies" to grow and fly away and hopefully
we can repair the well house before another tenant moves in.
So tell me............what kind of owls, if any, do you have in your area?
Do you have problems with critters moving into your spaces?
I would love to hear.

17 comments:

Hill Top Post said...

Owls are such fascinating creatures. To see one in daylight always makes my day. Your little owls are fortunate to have such caring landlords.

KathyB. said...

How precious ! We get Spotted Owls, Pygmy Owls, barn owls, owls I haven't identified yet. We hear them in the evenings and sometimes I find owls perched on the fence in the mornings eyeing my doves.

All the birds are fascinating, aren't they ?

Oh, and yes, any buildings and places around here I am not frequently into do seem to hold all kinds of life, especially squirrels around here.

Sandra said...

We have an owl that flies from house top to house top of our home and to the neighbors. We live in the country so homes are spread apart. Its wing span looks to be 5 feet. I believe it is a white owl. Quite intimidating; but beautiful at the same time. We usually have a pair of Hawks that live near by as well. And we see babies from them in our yard. They swoop down and pick up little rodents. I am sad though when I see them go after small birds.

Lady Jane said...

That is so exciting! So lucky to have such a wonderful tenant.

Connie said...

Oh my goodness! That's exciting to have a nest of owls there. I never see owls where I live here.

Sherri Farley said...

Exciting!!!

Sally said...

No owls here either. What a find! :)

Kathleen Grace said...

I'm afraid I would not be able to resist sneaking a peek! I LOVE owls, always have, and the thought of seeing even an adult up close would thrill me no end. We haven't had a problem with critters where we live, but my grandfather found a coon in his barn one year and shot it, only to realize it was a nursing mother. He looked for, and found, the babies and parceled them out to family to raise. My great uncle got one and my family got a baby to raise. We had to let it go when it got big, they are always mean when they grow up, but it was the sweetest pet when it was little.

Patty H. said...

that is too cool! those owls are beautiful creatures.
I had to stop and watch a bluebird this morning on my way out to work. It was sitting on our fence, turning it's head one way then the other looking for food on the ground.

1st Man said...

Wow, owls are just so cool! And it's awesome that you are letting them do their thing.

Debra said...

Oh this is wonderful!!! I love owls. I have never heard baby ones. We have screech owls, barn owls, and the big fellows with the pointy 'ears'-can't think of the name. I love hearing them call in the evenings.

Karen said...

Gorgeous owls, I love them! The babies are so precious! We have a snowy owl in our area, one day recently he was sitting on the roof of the shed behind our house for most of a day, just soaking up the sun.

Have we had critters moving into our spaces? Yes, and two of them currently reside in our house. Area barn kitties love to come to our shed to have their litters and we have ended up keeping two of the mothers and one of the babies. We don't regret keeping them at all, they have enriched our lives so much, but I have told my husband he should keep that shed door shut!

Lindah said...

Love to hear the great horned owls "talking" on a summer evening. The critters I don't appreciate are the skunks which are so prevalent in our area. They love to dig holes/nests under the garden shed. Always a battle to outwit them. Also the lizards which lay in wait to slither into our cool house when the door opens. ugh

Elaine/Muddling Through said...

What a marvelous surprise! Repairs can wait, for sure. We do hear an owl here once in a while in the big pine trees in our neighborhood. I've never caught a glimpse of it though, so no idea which one it is.

letslearnembroidery said...

I had seen white owls around here but don't know what they're called.

Brenda Kay Ledford said...

Wow! I love the photos of the white barn owls. What a discovery to find the nest of barn owls.
Wishing you an awesome Easter!

A Colorful World said...

Baby barn owls! Baby raccoons! What a great nursery the well house is! :-) How exciting to make such finds!