What has bright yellow eyes, weighs less than a lemon (3 oz), and winters in Iowa? The northern saw-whet owl! Northern saw-whet owls breed in the northern and western U.S., Canada and in the western Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico. They prefer dense forests and nest in holes in dead trees excavated by woodpeckers.
Saw-whet owls can be found in Iowa from November to March each year. During the day, the owls roost in dense conifer trees, like young cedars, sitting still and silent as they hide among the branches.
It was nearly impossible to get a clear shot of him today with twigs and branches blowing all around him in the breeze but I figure even a less-than-perfect picture of a saw-whet is till worth the effort.
A perfect shot!