A family of owls has taken over the backyard of a Padre Island home, and federal law says the birds are not going anywhere anytime soon.Jess and Heather Slaughter said their home is typically a place of rest and relaxation, but since February, a Great Horned Owl has claimed squatter's rights and started a family in their backyard. Family of Great Horned Owls takes over Padre Island backyard under federal protection"Between the ledge and the ground down in that bush there's a gap there. And she just kind of nested down in there," Heather Slaughter said.The Slaughters first reached out to the Texas Sealife Center to remove the owls. However, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 makes it a federal offense to tamper with the nest."Once the owls have made the nest and laid the eggs they will not relocate them," Heather Slaughter said. "You're basically at the mercy of the owl you can do nothing they have control of you so to speak because you can't relocate or move them."Dr. Dale Gawlik, a professor and endowed chair for conservation and biodiversity at the Harte Research Institute, said the lack of suitable locations for nests likely led the owls to roost on the island."So they probably went down their list of preferred sites and they found this flat structure," Gawlik said. "If they're at a building it's almost always an abandoned building. Owls showed up when there wasn't a lot of activity, they assumed it was abandoned, and they found a nice place to put their eggs."The Slaughters have a camera trained on the owls 24/7, but they invited me to take a look myself."Oh you can go around the deck around the swimming pool and look down and she'll fly off," Jess Slaughter said.When I arrived, the mother owl was patrolling the nest with babies inside. While it has been an inconvenience, the Slaughters have embraced the situation and are marveling at their new guests."So it's become really an attraction with multiple friends and family and so we've just made the best of it," Heather Slaughter said."A lot of people would find this to be incredibly special. 'Look this is the owl from Harry Potter!'" Gawlik said.For now, the nest remains. The Slaughter family said they will keep the backyard closed off from the rest of the house until their guests have taken flight.For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.Catch all the KRIS 6 News stories and more on our YouTube page. Subscribe today! ...read more read less