Little owl

More bird excitement around here! I heard the distinctive thud of a bird hitting our large dining room windows the other evening right at dusk. It was loud enough that I walked from the other side of the house to check it out. I cringed when I realized that it was a little bird of prey crumpled in the rocks under the window, but as I stepped outside, it looked up at me. It had a very tight grip on a twig.

I picked it up, snapped this quick photo with the flash, then set the owl down on an outside table. It stood up fine, so we waited.

Ole calls it "Mad Owl."

After two or three minutes of watching and waiting, it flew off into the trees. We ran right to the bird books and I'm pretty sure it's a Northern Pygmy Owl. Interesting fact: these guys are diurnal and are also active at dawn and dusk.We figure it was hunting near our birdfeeders when it hit the glass. I'm just so happy it survived!
Here's a photo of my cute little owl. We visited a pumpkin patch just before Halloween and squeezed him into last year's costume.