The replies favored a barn owl and I was leaning that way until I read the response from Joe Meche describing the young great horned owl screeching for food. This description sounded closer than what I could find on the computer.

Then today, I was talking to a neighbor who saw the great horned last night. They saw it at 2:00 am sitting on the railing to the large deck we share overlooking a parking lot and the lake. They watched it watching them for about ten minutes doing its now trademarked screech.

Thanks

David Barber