Back in May, I posted a report and some photos of an Eastern Screech-owl Family. In June I was able to get some better photos, but never took the time to post them. Here are a few of my favorites.
Unfortunately, Craig Harland, whose yard hosted this family, found one of the owls dead later the same month. Craig delivered the specimen to me from his freezer so that I could take it to Angelo Capparella, Associate Professor of Zoology at ISU, for the field museum.
I still do not know how this bird died, or what happened to the others. Craig saw one or two in the next few days after dark. Then they all seemed to disappear. I had seen an American Kestrel hunting in the yard. Perhaps they dispersed to avoid the kestrel, or to find food. I hope they were not stricken with West Nile Virus or some other disease. Based on where this one was found, it seemed as if it just dropped out of the sky. I enjoyed observing and photographing these birds, and it was sad to see them disappear.
Written and published on November 24, 2012
