Its been quiet for the most part, since the family of screech owls left, but some activity recently. There is a pair of yellow-shafted flickers diligently building themselves a nest cavity in a maple (norway?) trunk. The tree is quite close to the roost box and roost cedar used by the male red phased screech owl. (cedar is way to the left in the picture, and the nest trunk way to the right)
Interestingly, flickers not only build cavities that screech owls can later use, but they also clean out cavities (owl boxes) that have been filled with squirrel nest/leaves etc… Last spring I remember watching leaves fly out of the opening of one of the normal style owl boxes I had up, quickly followed by the head of a flicker, then it continued cleaning out the box. It only used it as a roost. But could provide a valuable service to screech owls as well.
and on a side note, just a morning picture of a dozing fox that was here as well
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Owl Oasis Trail 