Can You Spot the Owl in This Photograph?
Eastern screech owls know how to keep a low profile
![screech owl](/sites/default/files/styles/sierra_full_page_width/public/2023-06/2018-5-OpeningShot-ph1-WB.jpg.webp?itok=XeJjnUwZ)
Photo by William Kleinfelder
Some human residents of Cocoa, Florida, were delighted when, in 2014, a mated pair of eastern screech owls made a nest in a live oak tree, hatched a family, and settled in permanently. Two years later, the tree was knocked down by Hurricane Matthew. So neighbors built the owls a new home out of a hollowed-out palm trunk. It worked: The owls came back, though you have to look closely to spy one.
This article appeared in the May/June 2018 edition with the headline "Hiding in Plain Sight."