Eastern Screech Owls • Austin, Texas • Seven Years
A hidden owl world, documented year after year.
This page gathers the story of our backyard Eastern Screech Owls through photographs, infographics,
videos, a seven-year calendar, and original songs inspired by what we have observed.
Evening sentinel
Probably the male guarding the box from a nearby perch.
Why this site exists
The longer you watch, the more you realize that the most important parts of owl life are often hidden:
courtship, quiet guarding, cavity use, fledging, setbacks, and return.
One backyard, many seasons
My wife and I adore our backyard owls in Austin, Texas and have been tracking their patterns for many years.
We capture images, videos, sounds, and present on these wildcats of the skies whenever we can do so.
What begins as curiosity gradually becomes a record: repeated observations, better questions,
stronger interpretation, and a deeper appreciation for the resilience of these birds.
“Seven years. One backyard. A hidden world of Eastern Screech Owls.”
Backyard Owl Chronicle
Seven-Year Owl Calendar
This layout spreads the nesting season across multiple years as one visual board. The chart is updated throughout the year.
January through May • courtship, box use, setbacks, and fledging
2020
MOM IN BOX
Courtship & Mating
Feb 17 – Mar 5 • Mar 5 – Mar 31 • Mar 31 – Apr 29
🦉
2 Owlets fledge
2021
MOM NEAR BOX
MOM IN BOX
Courtship & Mating
Mar 16 – Apr 7 • Apr 7 – May 9
🦉
4 Owlets fledge
2022
MOM NEAR BOX
MOM IN BOX
Courtship & Mating
Mar 8 – Mar 27 • Mar 27 – Apr 29
🦉
3 Owlets fledge
2023
MOM NEAR BOX
MOM IN BOX
Courtship & Mating
Mar 6 – Mar 23 • Mar 23 – Apr 29
Epic squirrel battle; 4 eggs lost, 4 new
🦉
4 Owlets fledge
2025
MOM IN BOX
Dead squirrel removed from box
Mar 24 – Apr 22
2026
MOM NEAR BOX
MOM IN BOX
Courtship & Mating
Feb 13 – Mar 10 • Mar 10 – Apr 4
🦉
Photographs
We have both inside and outside cameras on the owl box. The current system is wireless from
Reolink (inside) and
Blink (outside).
Backyard eastern screech owl perched quietly in the canopy of a nearby tree; probably the male guarding the box.
Custom cedar nesting box installed in the backyard habitat. Many special features have been added.
See box building plan.
Inside the box looking up at the interior camera: early nesting behavior.
Infographics
Series of graphics explaining owl patterns, behavior, and tools.
Backyard pellet survey: what you find under Eastern Screech Owl roosts and what it reveals.Annual nesting cycle of Eastern Screech Owls from territory defense to fledging.Owl box camera setups for inside-box, wired, and outside monitoring.Eastern Screech Owls and food: backyard hunting range, prey, and food-web position.How tree collars help protect owl boxes from climbing predators.Fledgling phase, 26–30 days old: young owls stay close to the nest tree while climbing, perching low, moving briefly on the ground, and building flight strength through short flights.
Videos
We collect hundreds of videos annually of flight, feeding, calls, and more.
First egg laid inside the nesting box — a powerful moment marking the beginning of a new cycle. With audio on you can actually hear the egg drop.
Fledging moment — one of the young owlets takes its first leap into the world beyond the box.
Custom Texas Owl Songs
Six songs inspired by our backyard owls and created with artificial intelligence.
Whispers in the tall mesquite
A shadow glides on silent feet
The stars are maps
The moon a guide
A kingdom vast
Where secrets hide
Pre-Chorus
They call
They cry
Their voices soar
Through canyon echoes
Forevermore
Chorus
Guardians of the night
They fly
Underneath the endless sky
Wings of wisdom
Eyes so bright
Screech owls watch till morning light
Verse 2
Brushwood bends beneath their gaze
Ancient songs in twilight haze
Their feathers weave the threads of lore
The wind hums tales of what came before
Bridge
Through cedar and sage
They glide unseen
Silent as dreams
Fierce and serene
The guardians hold the dark at bay
Till dawn awakens another day
Chorus
Guardians of the night
They fly
Underneath the endless sky
Wings of wisdom
Eyes so bright
Screech owls watch till morning light
Verse
The owls are whispering in the trees
Secrets carried by the midnight breeze
Feathers soft like a dream untold
Eyes of amber
Stories old
Chorus
Night eyes
Watch me from the sky
Silent wings where shadows lie
Texas nights
Where wisdom soars
Night eyes
Teach me more
Verse 2
Moonlight dances on their flight
Guardians of the endless night
A hush falls as the world sleeps
Their gaze is deep
Their promise keeps
Bridge
Do they know the paths I seek
In their silence
Do they speak
A teacher cloaked in feathered might
The wise old soul of the Texas night
Chorus
Night eyes
Watch me from the sky
Silent wings where shadows lie
Texas nights
Where wisdom soars
Night eyes
Teach me more
Verse
Under the moon where the shadows slide
The owl sits perched with its eyes open wide
Feathers like whispers soft and sly
Chorus
Owl eyes open wide
Silent wings through the night they glide
The best bird soaring high
Owl eyes open wide
Verse 2
In the forest deep where secrets keep
It watches the world while others sleep
Top of the pyramid it's no surprise
Chorus
Owl eyes open wide
Silent wings through the night they glide
The best bird soaring high
Owl eyes open wide
Bridge
Wisdom in feathers sharp as a blade
Nature’s design that never fades
Teach me strength teach me grace
With your golden gaze
Chorus
Owl eyes open wide
Silent wings through the night they glide
The best bird soaring high
Owl eyes open wide
Verse
Moonlight whispers through the trees
Silver secrets ride the breeze
A shadow floats where none can see
Pre Chorus
Eyes of amber glow so bright
Cutting through the velvet night
Chorus
Silent wings
They brush the air
Screeching calls
A haunting flare
Gliding soft
Without a care
The owl of night
Always there
Verse 2
Branches creak beneath the weight
Of dreams that drift and hesitate
A predator
Yet delicate
Pre Chorus
Ghostly feathers trace the dark
A hunter’s grace
A fleeting spark
Chorus
Silent wings
They brush the air
Screeching calls
A haunting flare
Gliding soft
Without a care
The owl of night
Always there
Verse 1
The night hums low with secrets untold
A whisper of wind, a story of old
Moonlight spills where shadows creep
Screech owls call while the forest sleeps
Eyes like amber, still and wise
Guardians of the velvet skies
Chorus
Silent wings, they glide so high
Through the dark, they own the sky
Screech owls sing a haunting tune
Under stars and a watchful moon
Verse 2
Branches bend but never break
Roots hold fast, the earth awake
Wisdom flies on a feathered thread
Carrying dreams where none have tread
Who will hear the echoes fall
The tiny king's nocturnal call
A screech that cuts, a cry that soars
Through time and space forevermore
Chorus
Silent wings, they glide so high
Through the dark, they own the sky
Screech owls sing a haunting tune
Under stars and a watchful moon
Verse
Feathered ghosts in the moonlit air
Gliding silent
They hunt
They dare
Eyes like embers
Hearts that stare
Chorus
Wildcats of the sky
Hear their whispers
Hear them cry
Through the Texas night they fly
Verse 2
Perched on branches
Shadows blend
Their song begins where daylight ends
A love for flight
The night’s best friend
Prechorus
Who’s awake
Who’s afraid
Chorus
Wildcats of the sky
Hear their whispers
Hear them cry
Through the Texas night they fly
Bridge
Screeching through the canyon’s throat
Echoes ride the wind like a note
The night belongs to those who float
