Hootie at home Who says that a pet needs to be one that lives in a home or cage? In my mind, a pet is an animal you love and appreciate whether near or far. We have such a pet, and we’ve named her/him Hootie. Yes, it’s a screech owl that lives in a tree in our backyard. This owl has lived in this tree for over 10 years. It’s no more than 15 yards from our house, and it sits as you see it in the photo all day long. At night or when the weather is bad it stays inside that hole. Hootie’s palace is an old tree where he nests. My husband noticed that the tree was rotten and needed to come down, but we still wanted the owl to return. My husband decided to cut out and cover the top and bottom of the section that the owl was using. He then took a very tall ladder and nailed it to an adjacent tree. We waited that whole year for the owl to return. Sure enough, in the fall that year Hootie came back and resumed his/her residence in the palace. Hootie also has a mate who we don’t see that much. In the late spring we see a baby or two and then shortly thereafter they all fledge only to return in the fall. Loretta Harrison, Havelock, Carteret-Craven EC |
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