Nice to see this species Rick. Photo does not give an idea of tiny size of these birds- for an owl. I like the look-back and the eye contact. The background is not distracting. The bird has a bit of a "deer in the headlights" look about it and I wonder if balancing the flash more with the BG would reduce this effect. I know this is a very tough situation to make a natural-looking image. Also, I'd lose the fancy frame which is distracting, and the white shadow around the copyright notice.
Another nice shot Rick. It's hard to make a night shot not look over flashed and I think you have done pretty good with this one. A little less flash would have been nice but then again, this may have caused your BG to go darker.