An Owlish good time

Up the count. Tonight at dusk we watched five young owls arrive on the two birdbaths in the yard, drinking and splashing a bit. The hot weather has continued unabated and I'm sure they're glad of the water. I'm also quite sure that adult screech owls are not so social. These five youngsters must be a brood, all siblings, to stick together so closely and play with one another. Gary tried to sneak around the house and take a picture of them, but as soon as he came in sight they scattered. One remained perched on a fence rail for another ten or fifteen minutes, while the rest headed up into the oaks. We have lots of mice and chipmunks around, though the chipmunks are diurnal so probably the mice are their main prey. And to be honest, they're welcome to take all the mice they can get. I hope they'll still be around to sing for us in the fall. I love the sound of screech owls. It isn't screechy at all, but more like a theremin or a musical saw.

Gary was going to a Civil War recreation this weekend, but the weather is so hot that most of his friends canceled out. Selfishly, I'm hoping he'll stick around and we can do stuff together.