My new neighbor a barn owl

What sound made the hair on the back of my neck stand up?  This sound would scare even a mortician.  Last week I heard a horrible scream of some kind of animal . I didn’t have a clue, wondered what it was that was screaming in the middle of the night with a short screech and then silent. I knew it wasn't a coyote I started thinking could it be a mountain lion? We have a new list of help numbers to call and mountain lion sighting is on the list. The noise came from the park and it was such an incredibly loud screech I looked at Maulie and  promptly went to bed with the sheets over my head..Well tonight as I lay in the bedroom watching T.V I heard it out my bedroom window. I ran and got Jack and told him there is something in our back yard. Our back yard has a full array of large trees and I swear it sounded so close. He pointed the flashlight nothing.Hubby gave me that look like and the reason we are doing this is because......? I just wanted him to see or hear what I was hearing. Well a few minutes later it was back but in the front yard and he heard it this time. Jack promptly said it's an owl.I have heard hooting owls but this is worse then that tired expression nails on a chalkboard!
In defense of my being a little unsettled by this noise I am not a coward remember when I argued with a robber and asked him for his money while I was being robbed?Or when I got chased by a moose and how many ladies can say they got kissed by a whale!Oh and I stayed once in a real haunted hotel  in Arizona called the Copper Queen Hotel.( O.K. that  scared me)
Well I recalled reading in the Crest Sun about Barn owls that someone had set up a Barn owl box. Well I  found the article read some more and sure enough the neighbor is near me!That box is about two streets away. The barn owl lady mentioned that you never put a box near your window the sound is horrible. This lady is completely factual on that bit of information thank you very much.  I think they're hanging out near my home for hunting because of the big trees.They're good predators but with your windows open you almost jump out of your sheets! Hopefully they will catch some rodents at night but go to u tube and listen to one of their barn owl noises and tell me what you think. Is that not the worse sound in the middle of the night?