After work this evening I went outside to collect the mail and I spotted a shape flying up into a nearby tree. Instantly I knew it to be an Owl based on time of day & the flight style..the question was which small owl....Screech, or Saw-Whet ?? The Saw-Whet would be incredibly unlikely in my yard. It turns out this was an Eastern Screech-Owl. I was able to view the bird for a few minutes but it quickly flew off after I took a few steps toward it.
Here's an image form the internet showing an example of what I saw:
credit: wildphotosphotography.com
The next evening after work I spent a few minutes outside and mimicked the Screech-Owl call, ans sure enough the little guy came right in to check out the noise. The Owl is a Gray-Phased type.
Here's a nice image that give a nice indication of the size of this little owl...
