A Western Screech Owl in my Phoenix Backyard

It's been a long time since I've seen a western screech owl: six years, by my rough record-keeping.  So I was delighted to recently witness one in my Phoenix backyard after only a few days back in town following my long summer stay in Prescott.  

The last time I wrote about this small owl species, I had just seen one roosting during the day at the Desert Botanical Garden.  It was the second time I had seen one there, and the third time ever.  The first was actually in an adjacent community to mine in Phoenix, when I watched an owl over the course of several days as it basked in a winter's early morning light from a perch in the hollow of a saguaro cactus.  

Over the next six years, I occasionally heard the western screech owl's bouncing-ball hoots during winter nights in the desert.  However I was much more apt to hear the deep calls of a great horned owl, which I was also more likely to see on my sunrise runs. 

Last week for the first time since the spring, I had turned on my backyard lights, illuminating overgrown elephant food plants and a shaggy lysiloma tree.  From my living window, I noticed a fluttering bird land on a tree branch and then quickly dart away, like a moth transfixed in a new spotlight. A short moment later the bird returned, roosting itself in the shadow of another branch. 

I suspected it was an owl visiting my property, possibly a regular summer denizen unaccustomed to other residents let alone any landscape lighting.   A pair of binoculars quickly confirmed it was indeed a western screech owl.  It was impossible to resist grabbing my camera to try for a few shots.  

Fortunately I was wise enough to turn on the flash and trust the autofocus in the low light.  But I was even more lucky that the owl let me approach close enough to snap some especially clear photos. 

I kept the lights off for the rest of the weekend, so I didn't see the owl again.  However a few nights later I awoke to its trilling hoots.  I was happy to hear that my backyard tenant had not broken its lease and was willing to share the space with me.   

Western screech owl in my Phoenix backyard.

Western screech owl in my Phoenix backyard.

Western screech owl in my Phoenix backyard.