Wow! Yeah, red shouldered hawks aren't all that common around here.

Our owls were the small screeches (one would fit in your cupped hands, easily) and likely wouldn't approach your dog at all. They're bug eaters, though they'll eat frogs and small fish, too. Not much into mice, or so I've read. I bet they'd eat them, if they were there, though. ;-)

Who knows, they might be heading your way. :-)

I was shocked when I went to look them up and realized they weren't the usual.

Awwww...they sound adorable! I would have loved to see them. They're welcome so long as they don't pose a threat to my dog. He's not the brightest bulb in the candelabra and he can neither see nor hear well, so I'm a bit overprotective these days.

I want mice eaters! When they get in the house, I have to capture them and release them into the arboretum. It's a pain. Although, my dog of diminished capacities did manage to capture and kill the last one. Not a fun clean up. :|

However, even if they don't eat mice they're welcome to come hang out and screech at me. And if they ever wanted a peanut, this is the Land of Plenty.

LOL!!!

You need a cat indoors. :-)

I used to and she did catch the snake that got in one day. THAT was a bloody mess. All over the place. To top it off? The snake was mauled but not dead. Fun times.

LOL! Check out the strays in your neighborhood. They're used to hunting and then eating their kills. There's a semi-feral cat around there who would love to move in and do his or her part to keep the house pest free. :-)

She was a feral! I think I'd interrupted her fun and games because the snake was mortally wounded and clearly on death's door. There was blood all over the dining room, the hall, and one of the bedrooms.

Wow! The closest I've ever come to something like that was when one idiot brought in a live bird.

The battle was epic.

The clean up sucked.

Egads! Poor you. Poor bird. :( And I imagine the cat could not figure out why you didn't think it was all Good Times.

There were three of them after it. They got it before I did, which was probably just as well since it was likely mortally wounded before it got away inside.

No, they didn't seem to grasp my dismay.

GAH! That sounds like an epic battle, all right. :|