After seeing an owl fly in and out of a hollow in their tree on Courtland Street in Rockford, Jessi and Dan Heeringa took a look to see what was up. A ladder climb of about 20 feet gave them the surprise of seeing an Eastern screech owl tending her brood of two owlets.
The Eastern screech owl eats a variety of small animals. The only small owl with eartufts, the Eastern screech owl is a bird of the night and has a descending wailing sound. These owls eat from one-quarter to one-third of their own body weight in food each night. They range in length from 6.3 to 9.8 inches with a wingspan of 18,9 to 24 inches, and weigh between 4.3 and 8.6 ounces. Owls are a protected species.
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