Clay in the Garden "Barn Owl"

I have little 'visitors' to my garden.  Sure, they are cute, but they are also thieves! We have adorable little bunnies (who will eat the fresh tender green tops out of anything), squirrels (who steal my tomatoes and head up a tree with them), a raccoon (who breaks young corn stalks with his weight), and surprisingly, although we live in town... deer tracks...

Now, I dont know about you, but where I come from, we didnt take too kindly to thieves.  I cant seem to catch them in the 'act' to run them off and am not sure it would work anyway.  We do have a pair of beautiful red tailed hawks who have been raising young in a tree just across the street for the past couple years - these guys are probably helping tremendously, but we still have issues.  I cant do much about a couple of the critters, but I can attempt to intimidate the smaller ones by sitting a predator at my gardens edge.  Im going to give it a try and am in the process of making....

The Barn Owl

He doesnt look just like the picture I used to go by, but once he is painted, he should appear pretty realistic.

Wish me luck in the garden this year!

If he doesnt do the job then he has a nice place in my dining room he can hang from ; )