Over the last few weeks I’ve been keeping an eye on the screech owl box in the front yard. A nesting pair has chosen it, and even though I haven’t seen owlets yet, I believe they’re in there. The mother owl spends more time in the doorway, which indicates the owlets are growing bigger, taking up more space in the box, and each evening she leaves the box to hunt, along with the male. Young owlets require lots of feeding!

At dusk, she gets restless, turning her head this way and that, sometimes calling to the male or listening to him. When it’s almost too dark for me to see, that’s when she swoops out and soars across the street. Screech owls hunt for small mammals like mice and rats (a good reason not to put out rat poison!), as well as lizards, moths, roaches, snakes, scorpions, and small birds.

Females are bigger than the males. Mama Owl sits in the doorway most late afternoons, but she’s skittish and drops down in the box if I get too close or a neighbor drops by to see, even if we whisper.

I often sit quietly in a chair with my camera, far enough away not to worry her. I hope she is learning that we’re not a threat.

I’m happy that an owl family has chosen our yard again, after many years of empty owl boxes.

They are such fun to watch.

And so are the anoles, who are busily charging through leaf litter, inflating their dewlaps in territorial displays or courtship.

Or basking in the sun.

Trying to blend in

Don’t get eaten by the screech owl, little guy. She’s probably watching you.

There’s lots of watching going on.

I welcome your comments. Please scroll to the end of this post to leave one. If you’re reading in an email, click here to visit Digging and find the comment box at the end of each post. And hey, did someone forward this email to you, and you want to subscribe? Click here to get Digging delivered directly to your inbox!

__________________________

Digging Deeper

My new book, Gardens of Texas: Visions of Resilience from the Lone Star State, is available for pre-order at Amazon and other online book sellers. It’ll be released on October 14th, and while that’s several months away, pre-orders are tremendously helpful in getting my book noticed by readers and reviewers. Please consider pre-ordering if you’d like to read it this fall; more info here. Thank you for your support!

Come learn about gardening and design at Garden Spark! I organize in-person talks by inspiring designers, landscape architects, authors, and gardeners a few times a year in Austin. These are limited-attendance events that sell out quickly, so join the Garden Spark email list to be notified in advance; simply click this link and ask to be added. Read all about the Season 8 lineup here!

All material © 2025 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.