The Wells Fargo Owl Habitat

I remember it was on Saturday during Martin Luther King weekend two years ago. My wife came through the door, her excitement showing like a bright aura all around her. "I just saw the cutest little owl!" she beamed, The word "cute," can never be overused in our household, and is the quintessential compliment you can give to anything or anyone."

"Where was it?" I inquired with interest.

"At the Wells Fargo drive thru!"

"Why don't we go back and see it? It's probably a Western Screech Owl." It seemed like the likely choice. Elf Owls are only summer residents and burrowing owls, though present in other parts of Tucson, seemed never to make it to the northeast part of town. In fact, they had never even been recorded in the history of the Catalina Mountain Christmas Bird Count, which covers most of northeast Tucson.

As we drove into the drive thru lane I saw it, on the ground, and realized this was no screech owl.