Late yesterday afternoon a testy titmouse pecked on the side of the treehouse while the owl was in it; our yard songbirds harass the owls, but they are no threat. Earlier yesterday morning a squirrel just had to find out what was going on, so he made a split second visit to peek inside and left intact. Squirrels, raccoons, snakes, and other critters would love to steal owl eggs if they were left undefended. Note her keen attention on the foolish squirrel. . .

About an hour before dawn this morning she returned for a couple short sessions of digging and flinging the wood shavings, back and forth from nest to perch several times, flew off, then quickly returned to settle in. Her mate was barely spotted tucked into a nearby mountain laurel; the infrared camera light makes his eyes glow, but owls and humans can not see IR light.