NATURE NOTES – Number 36             January 14, 2022

First, here is hoping that all of you had a good Christmas Season and are heading into the New Year with some plans to promote nature study and learning in 2022.  Don’t just sit on a limb and hoot like….                            

Our current topic:  Owls

Owls are not the easiest birds to find.  They are more likely to be heard than seen. There are three species in our area that you are most likely to encounter in your wanderings – or while in your sleeping bag in the middle of the night. 

The first is the little Screech Owl.  Appropriately named, this little critter can scare you right out your sleeping bag with sounds that range from a screech to a high pitched shrill to a screaming baby.  They are not afraid of humans and are fairly common in the forest as well as suburban neighborhoods.  I have had several in my yard inside the city of Roanoke.  If you do hear them, check the area the next morning.  They may be spending the day hanging out in a tree nearby, pressed up against a tree trunk with remarkable camouflage.  They are small, about 8” tall, and come in a gray and brown phase.  Another way of finding this visitor is the ruckus of other birds, especially crows and jays around a tree.  They see the owl as a threat.  The owl usually seems bored at all the fuss.  But check out what the excitement is.  You might find an owl, or a snake, or the neighborhood cat.  An alarm tells you something is disturbing a piece of nature.

An owl that frequents wooded river and creek bottoms is the Barred Owl.  This is a large (18” high), big-eyed owl that you might flush from its daytime perch as you move along a steam bed.  It’ll be silent, but large.  This is the source of the famous “Who cooks for you?” or “Ku Ku Ku Who” sound. 

The Great Horned Owl is the other common owl in our area.  Again, this is the BIG (24”) owl, with “horns” on top of its head.  This is the owl with a more solitary, deep-throated “Hooo, Hoo Hoo”.  These can be stumbled upon during the day deep in the forest, but usually they are just sitting up in a tree watching you go by.  This is the guy that catches and eats skunks.  His smeller is weak. 

There are some other species that are possible in our area.  Every few years there are reports of a Snowy Owl visiting somewhere nearby during a harsh winter up north.  They will wander south in search of food.  A beautiful, large, white bird that is a treat to see.

Another white owl is the Barn Owl.  As the name implies, his favorite hang-out is an old deserted, isolated building.  Not common, but they are around.  Look for owl pellets (that’s what the owl coughs up after eating its prey) on the floor of old buildings.  Long-eared and Short-eared Owls are possible also, but I have never seen either in this area. 

Owls are the silent hunters of the night.  That’s why they have those huge eyes in front of their heads.  They don’t need much peripheral vision, as they have few predators to watch out for.  They need that night vision capability and big talons to find small mammals that unsuspectingly roam the dark forest. 

These are fascinating birds, but difficult to find and see.  An owl discovery is a great way to pique the interest of a young scout in nature.  If you find an owl, make use of it as a teaching aid.

Nature Opportunities:

One interesting thing to do on a camp-out is to try and “call in” owls.  This can work quite well.  Find an app on your phone that has owl calls, and play it at night in an open area (around a lake) to attract owls to answer the call.  You might need to amplify the sound some way to get enough volume.  I know this has worked at Camp Ottari and Powhatan on Screech Owls, and I think Barred Owls.  You may never see them, but they may come and have a conversation with you.

Good look on your owl finding. 

As always, thanks for visiting NATUR NOTES.  Send your comments to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..                     Bob Garst