I'm going to start with the "good news" portion.
That horrendous looking thing above which seems like something out of a 1970's Toho Studios creature design workshop is, in fact, a Great Horned Owl owlet. Ie: a baby owl. Now it's adorable, right? Lil' baby owl.
Over here in Austin, we've sort of made the Great Horned Owl that nests at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center a local celebrity. We call her "Athena". And every year for well over a decade, she's found a perch in the planters built into the gateway arch to the Wildflower Center. In that spot, she lays her eggs and raises some bebes.
Don't worry - it's safe from people and prying eyes.