Guess Whooooo's Coming to Dinner?

We have a new friend on Nichols Road. We call him "Ozzie", because when Adam was three, we had a pair of barred owls that nested near our house. We called them "Ozzie" and "Harriet", and this really could be Ozzie. Or, it could be Ozzie II, or III, so I guess we could call it Junior. But we'll stick with "Ozzie", because it's easy to remember. Anyway, my husband took this picture several days ago, when he came out and saw the owl down by the creek. We have a progressive series of shots, with this one being the closest; that owl did not spook easily. The next day, when Adam and I were eating supper, he startled and said he saw a hawk land on the driveway. We crept onto the deck and found Ozzie sitting on the driveway by an ivy-covered wall. I think he probably saw a lizard and was looking for an evening snack. We did startle him, and he flew into nearby trees. We ended up eating dinner on the deck, watching him as he turned his head this way and that and shook his feathers. He finally flew off, but he provided ample dinner entertainment, and we were pleased.

Tonight, while Adam and I were at church, planning for VBS, my husband got home and came up the stairs. He noticed our cat, Bash, looking intently out the back door. When he came to see what Bash was watching, he discovered that the owl was sitting on our deck rail, staring in at Bash. I don't know if they were sizing one another up as adversaries, or dreaming of potential feasts; I just know that I'll be watching Bash a bit more closely now that I know that Ozzie has his eye on him!