That is so beautiful, Jean!!! I love how your photos always tell the whole story...like the bluejay in the background. Very cool! Bad for the bird, but once again, AWESOME that you were there to help him on his way, Chicka! I can't even imagine how incredible it is to be that close to an owl, to touch it and cuddle. Ok, I'm getting carried away again. LOL LOL @ line dancing! I'm very shy about shining the light up into their eyes in the early morning. I always feel like I'm going to mess with their wildness or something, so I haven't tried getting them all to dance with me...yet. :D They are SO loud now, I'm also worried some idiot in the neighborhood is going to do something stupid to quiet them up. I sound like an irrational, nervous mom! Brenda

I've had a pair of Barred Owls nesting in my backyard for eight years now. I used to have lots of pictures on here from previous years nests but they have been removed over time. However, here is a picture of mama owl sitting in the nest this year while there were eggs or tiny young in there. Now she sits on a limb of another tree guarding her nest of young. (I saw a little one peeking out at me yesterday while I was in the yard). As you can see, the nest site is in a large tree that lost a limb many years ago and this resulted in a large cavity in that spot. What you are describing of the owl sitting in one spot tells me that her nest is nearby and that young ones are in the nest. Check all the big trees you have closely near where she is sitting and maybe you will find what she is guarding. Good luck and keep us posted if you find the nest!!

I don't know how deep the nest actually is because I can't get up into that tree. From what I've been able to see, however, it appears that they are really exposed to the weather more than I ever expected them to like for nesting. There was once a very large limb that broke from this tree and eventually it developed into this large cavity. You can still see some of the limb at the top of the nest site. That area of the tree has really deteriorated over the last few years and I worry that it will soon be too open for the owls to continue to nest there. The tree is slowly dying and is losing limbs every year. Many sections of the tree have holes in it made by Pileated Woodpeckers. Squirrels and birds fly into one hole and out another hole in another section of the tree. Definitely hollow spaces in there. I've been contemplating making a nest box and mounting up that tree in that nest area for next year. I'm just not sure what to do. I've watched them nest there every year since 2003 and I would truly miss them. I want to offer a nest box but at the same time I don't want to spook them away from the site they have used for so long. Here is an image from 2003 when the young were leaving the nest and the tree is full of foliage.

What a great shot! Thanks for sharing. Nick