Would you like to «own» a screech owl? Well, not really own in the truest sense but you can have one take up residence in your backyard in one of these very snazzy and cool«owl shacks». We purchased an owl shack over a year ago and almost immediately attracted a fine feathered fat one. His name is «Owlpacino». He comes to visit in the very cold winter months, sitting and sunning himself on the ledge of his shack during the day and flying to feed at night. A soft«troo-troo-troo»(that’s my best owl imitation and, frankly, it sucks) alerted us that he was here early one morning. Owlpacino does not seem to notice our cats and dog or the many rowdy teens who also take up residence here. He’s got kind of an apathetic and aloof personality and casually peeps at us through half closed eyes every so often. Cliff Shackelford, the owner and designer of the Owl Shack business markets the shacks for $ 54.00 each plus $ 8.00 shipping. The shacks are painted flat black and built to protect your little feathered buddies from the rain and cold. Cliff is an orthinologist and is widely published on birds. I met Cliff in December 2006 when he lived in Austin and I was picking up my owl shack. He is seriously dedicated to the screech owl and it was fun to chat with him while he worked on his shacks. His screech owl imitation is much more authentic than mine. The Owl Shack website gives you ideas on naming your owl, how and where to hang your owl shack and details about the habits of screech owls in Texas. I never thought I’d spend much time staring at a beautiful sleeping screech owl but I have. When the weather begins to cool every year, we wait for Owlpacino’s arrival and he has yet to disappoint.
