western screech owl

Reboot: The San Pedro House western screech owl (Megascops kennicottii). I have decided to call him Wyatt.

Sleepyhead stifles a yawn.

Western screech owl (Megascops kennicottii) napping in his favorite knothole, at San Pedro House.

Western screech owl (Megascops kennicottii), roosting in a cottonwood knot hole, about 30 feet (9 m) above the ground.

At San Pedro House, Cochise County, Arizona.

This is @axelrod‘s bird.

Last look.

Western screech-owl

(Megascops kennicottii), at the Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, Arizona.

Disapprobation.

Western screech-owls (Megascops kennicottii), allopreening in an acacia tree at the Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, Arizona.

Among birds, mutual feather preening is a way to help a mate get at those hard to reach spots, but also a behavior that reinforces the pair bond. Like mutual feeding between adult birds, it looks a lot like love.

Western screech-owl (Megascops kennicottii).

There were three screech-owls roosting in an acacia tree along my path at the Desert Botanical Garden yesterday. I thought at first that they might be brood mates that hadn’t separated, but after looking at my shots and getting a better view of their plumage, I think now that they were a mated pair of adults and a recent fledgling. This little fuzz ball is the baby, still expecting some attention and supervision from Ma and Pa Screech.

It was a great day for owl sightings. More photos will follow.