A cute hooter

SIL called and said that there is a screech owl in her back yard if I would like to try to photograph it. The bright overcast sky plus foliage made it a challenge to get a usable picture.This is one of the few that were "sort of" keepers.

A great shot of this cute guy Bill even though it wasn't in ideal conditions. If you could get that OOF stick out in the foreground thats crossing his belly it would be even better.

Thanks, Brad. The owl was being harassed by several small birds so it kept moving into thicker cover. Initially, the owl was about eye level in a small tree in SIL's back yard, but then she walked right up and pointed to it (she is not into being stealthy). The screech owl did not care for its personal space being invaded so it flew to the top of a cedar elm where I shot this picture.

A beautiful shot Bill, I like the overcast conditions as it has added a lot of atmosphere to the shot and despite the conditions you have kept it sharp, really beautiful.

Wow, just look at those eyes!! Lovely shot, Bill

Bill, any owl image is a good one. Excellent capture.

Nice going, Bill. The owls almost never give you a clear view in good light.

Thanks for the comments, Marco, Anke, Harvey, and Stan.

Owls seem to like my sister-in-law. She called one day and said that there is an owl in her kitchen sitting next to a carved wooden owl and wanted to know how to get it outdoors. After some joking about the situation, my wife said to just put a paper bag over it and then carry it outside. Sure enough that idea worked. SIL slipped a small paper sack over it and then turned the sack upright to close the top. The owl just fell to the bottom of the bag with a clunk s if it were dead weight. Once outside, the bag was opened and the owl flew off to a nearby tree.