Mr. Who

We have a resident owl.  So fun!  I wanted a resident owl badly when we were living in the farmhouse to kill mice! :)  I even looked into how to attract one.  We have had mice in our garage here, but thankfully none in the house.  Very thankfully.  We have noticed this guy hanging around the last few weeks.  Glad to have him hunting mice.  Also very fun to watch him.  In our brief research, we have decided he is a Barred Owl.  The kids have creatively named him Mr. Who.

This morning, I tried to sneak out to get a picture of him.  Unfortunately, I still have not invested in a telephoto lens, so I could only get so close before he spun his head around to see me and flew away.

His back was to me in my initial pursuit

 Then his head spun 180 degrees to see me.  He paused long enough for me to snap a photo.

This is a bit 'pixely' because I zoomed in digitally.

 

 Here he is flying away.  Awesome creatures!