look who's back

Yes me. That's who.

I wasn't planning to take such a long break, but each day turned into a month, and then another month, and here we are...November.

When I decided to take a break from the computer it was partially because I was running out of things to post about. Wildlife sightings were down and I was keeping myself busy painting furniture and flipping old stuff into new treasures. But, I was still keeping a few things posted here until one day, I no longer could sit in front of my computer and type. It was a pain in the neck. Literally. And, actually, a pain in my arm. Visits to the doctor, physical therapy and an eventual MRI resulted in the discovery that I really did have a pain in my neck (but of course I knew that) and it was in the form of two bulging discs, compressing the nerve down my right arm and degenerative arthritis in several other discs in my cervical spine. Injections, ice packs, more physical therapy, home exercises, neck traction, pain medication, limited activity (although lots of pool exercises) and now a home traction device has gotten me to here... five months later. I'm much better than I was, but this will be something that I will be stuck with. If I can keep it at the level that it is today, then I'll call it manageable. There is a plan in place and I will follow it. There is a back-up plan if it worsens or the arm pain starts up again. Let's hope not. So for now...I'm back here. Like I said above...me..that's who...

Who else ? This little critter.

One day last week I was sweeping up the front patio. I noticed a pile of bird droppings in an unusual spot on the ground, on the vine trailing up the wall, on the pole that holds up the vine and as my eyes followed the path upwards...I spotted this little owl tucked up under the eaves of the house. The first day he was sitting on the cable wires for our internet and t.v. that lead into the house. Initially, we thought he was caught up there because a wing was tucked behind one of the wires. Reptile, spider, bird Wrangler reached up (with gloves) to help him get loose. He flew off on his own and we thought that would be the last time we saw him. But, the next day, another pile of droppings clued us to this spot up under a window awning on the front patio. Here he was, perched again.

Peeking.

We thought, at first, he was a young great horned owl because we have resident adult owls in the back yard palm trees. Our neighbor thought perhaps it is a Burrowing Owl, as did Chuck and I, after finding our big jade plant ransacked twice. A large hole was dug down with roots torn up and dirt scattered all around the pot. (we have since filled the top of the pot with large rock). But, I looked up Burrowing Owl and they don't have ears like this one does. It is hard to get an idea of size, but this little guy is only about 8 inches tall. Look back at the first photo to get an idea of his size. Did you see it the first time in that picture?

There is a reason the term 'night owl' came about. They do stay awake at night and sleep during the day. He could barely keep his eyes open for his photo shoot!

There's a little peek!

 Since the  Burrowing Owl was no longer an option for identification since this guy has ears, I looked at my Arizona Birds pocket guide and saw that a Western Screech Owl is also common in this area. A quick Wikipedia Search resulted in identifying this guy as such. The photo on the left is a stock photo from the internet and my photo is the one on the right.

  Do you agree with me?

Friday night...Halloween night...we were grilling some burgers in the back yard. As I stepped out the door I felt as if something was a bit different on the shelves where I keep the pool towels, plants and a collection of 'fake birds'. Something felt unusual. I jumped a bit when I noticed this. Staring right at me in the glow of the patio light. This time it gave me the creeps just a little.

Chuck was able to snap this quick photo with his phone camera. The flash went off, which scared it and it flew away. It looks pretty awesome in black and white though. We have not seen it since then. Before the sun came up this morning, I could hear the Great Horned owls up in the trees making their calls between the males and the females. It is an interesting banter they do to attract each other. I'll be keeping my eyes open for this little guy again. He is cute. He is a bit messy. I know he could potentially frighten me when he pops up in unexpected little places. Occasionally, I can hear a different bird sound outside, I'm wondering if it is this little owl. When we were taking his photo, he would do a little clicking sound at us. It kept me at a distance, for sure.

So, welcome back if you are reading this. Thanks for being patient and checking back on my blog.

Happy Monday!