How to find owls
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- čas přidán 1. 06. 2024
- I got my start owling in 2020 when I was an Allegheny County park ranger. I led owl prowls and started to get out into the field when I was off the clock to look for owls. I became enthralled with them and it became a passion to learn more about their hidden lives. I hope it brings the same joy for you that it brings for me.
I have used info collected for the ranger "owl prowls" as well as my own research to help give you the confidence to start trying to find owls. Good luck!
Owl adaptations:
• Experiment! How Does A... (flight)
• Owls Have Superior Sen... (senses)
Recommended Apps:
- eBird
- Audubon Birds
- BirdNET
Other references:
• Bird Watching Tips (Bi... (great intro to birding)
• How to start bird watc...
• Top 5 Bird Watching Apps (other good apps)
www.birds.cornell.edu/home/ (Cornell Lab of Ornithology website)
www.birdwatchingdaily.com/new...
www.thespruce.com/tips-on-owl...
fauconeduc.biz/documents/pelle... (pellets PDF)
www.google.com/amp/s/thebrain...
www.intechopen.com/books/owls... (owl population debate)
www.owlresearchinstitute.org/... (general owl knowledge)
www.wired.com/2014/06/squirre... (squirrel alarms)
• A Short Guide to Chipm... (chipmunk alarms)
Call ethics:
www.thespruce.com/ethics-of-b...
Conservation:
www.owlresearchinstitute.org/...
www.nature.org/en-us/get-invo...
www.hungryowls.org/rescue-dia...
www.aviary.org/conservation/c...
Media & Music credits:
Bensound.com (in the description for a video) www.bensound.com/royalty-free...
Chipmunk
www.videvo.net/video/chipmunk...
Squirrel
www.wired.com/wp-content/uplo...
Luke Yanko on Pixels
Owl pellets
www.birdnote.org/explore/fiel...
Bird Close up
www.videvo.net/video/closeup-...
Saw-whet owl photo: National Aviary Website
www.aviary.org/conservation/c...
Lofi music my David Renda
One of the benefits of working the graveyard shift for dollar tree is that in waking up at 2 o clock in the morning to go to a job that started at 3, I saw a lot of wild animals I had no idea I shared space with. Seriously, I don't even live in a wooded area and I saw a barred owl out on my telephone line one morning, a red fox, and a possum. Not all in the same day of course, they were all different encounters.
I’m wondering what kind of shoppers go to a dollar tree at 3am?
@@SUNSETEH They can't, we're closed until 8 A.M. but our shit starts at 3 so we can get some stocking done, uninterupted by customers
@@SUNSETEH It is a lot of fun seeing wild animals.
In the words of Yogi Berra "You can observe a lot just by watching"
👍
The info on calling ethics was fascinating. I had never thought about those issues, but the explanations made perfect sense. Thanks so much for the lesson(s)!
There's a debate in the owl community about the ethics of calling when "Psyched for Nature" is out in the woods.
Great horned owls are pretty easy to find. If you hear it hooting through the night in the same spot and can echo locate the tree, nine times out of ten it will be snoozing in that tree all day long like a statue. Get out your binoculars and walk around the tree. They tend to set up shop close to the center of trees to camouflage themselves against the trunk.
Or just take a drive around midnight near my house because I've had them swoop in front of my car at night many times lol. Terrifying.
This is some prime info right here. Thx for the tip(s) ... here in NC they are easy to hear, however actually locating them has been a challenge for me. I have walked upon a barn owl maybe about 25 ft up in a tree in downtown - which was a surprise, but it just goes to show these birds are literally everywhere hiding in plain sight ✊🏽
I live in Panama, Central America, and just 2 months ago in December 2021 I went to the backyard of my house to pick up some clothes, it was around 9 at night and when I came back I felt something looking at me and when I looked towards my left, I saw how it's head turned towards me and his 2 eyes like fire looking at me. The distance was like 4 or 5 steps from me, really close. I couldn't move and thinking am I really seeing an owl in my backyard? lol, It was staring at me, I think it was about 5 or 10 seconds when I decided to walk without taking my eyes off him until I entered the house. It was a Great Horned Owl, It was really beautiful, it scared me but it's something I will never forget 😀
I am a licensed vet tech and one night on my way home I came across a barred owl sitting in the middle of the road. He looked ok but didn’t fly away so I stopped. I slowly approached the bird but still no reaction so I grabbed a blanket from my car and was able to wrap him in it. I took him to a rehabilitator and she took him to a vet who sent them to an ophthalmologist. The bird had been hit by a car in the head which caused him temporary blindness. When his sight returned he was let back into his habitat and I hope lived happily ever after. What a beautiful creature he was.
I really love barn owls for the contrast between their spooky - ethereal appearance, and the murder screeches they make.
I saw a Barred owl this morning while hiking me with my bright orange hat on. It flew and perched in a tree right next to the trail about 20 feet over head. I did not want to move as not to scare it away. Surprisingly I was able to view the owl for about 20 to 30 seconds before it decided to fly off. What a beautiful creature.
Me and a friend of mine were walking down a hiking trail in the middle of the day when we heard some bluejays screaming at something. We spotted a flock of them in a nearby tree, and wouldn’t you know, there was a barred owl sitting on a branch! It was being harassed by the jays and a couple of crows. We were so stunned to see an owl at this time of day that we didn’t notice the second barred owl sitting in a tree not five feet from us. It was crazy! Anyway, thanks for all the owl finding tips! Maybe I’ll be able to go back and find those two owls again.
I loved how you humorously picked up your cat as “important equipment.” 😹
My favorite owl around is the Great Horned Owl. They’re common here in Oregon’s forests. 🦉❤️
Yes they are! I like Eastern Oregon for seeing owls. In the Round Barn (Malheur) in spring Great Horned Owls nest all the time. Three or more other species like that area too.
My girlfriend and I were walking through our property one night which is heavily wooded and we came across a baby owl about the size of a softball sitting in the limbs of a tree.
We were able to get quite close to it and we looked at it for a few minutes before we continue on. It was a most fascinating experience.
When I was a child, we got up one morning and there was an owl trapped on our back porch. No idea how that happened, but my Dad woke us all up to have a quick look. then donned welding gloves put his arm up there, owl climbed on ( amazingly!) took him to the door and off it went! I wish I could recall exactly what it looked like. I know it wasn't a barn owl, and that's about all I know!
I'm a British owler, but I'd like to congratulate you on this great introduction!
he looks like a vampire.
@@Farsightfulwell who better to look for owls
Can you guide/help me to find an owl to nest in my rear garden in SE London.
It is a bit urban.
Thanks. God Bless.
@@nikkion2140Provide a nest box and a source of food, if they like the area they’ll find you. But don’t build your hopes up, I live backing onto farmland/woods and even though I hear them regularly I rarely see them, and have never seen one in my garden. I have lots of small mammals in my garden ( my cat can back me up on this ) so I’m still hoping…………..
@@shreemhreemkleem - we have only 5 species, and none of the really large ones, so it's a different experience...
If I could give you 10 "thumbs up" for this video, I would. You did a really, REALLY good job covering more than just the basics. Kudos to you.
Ill give one for you
I like that you have enough emphasis on ethnic!!! Thank you!!!
This channel has serious potential to be the best birding channel out there, please keep making videos! They're so good.
Dude, Absolutely loved that you picked up the important gear, aka binocs and the orange cat 😍🐈
We saw a barred owl around 5:00 pm in our local park about 10 yards into the entry of the woods today!!! We were estatic!!! I was suggesting to my gf to do a hooty call when she randomly looked to the right of us and saw him on a branch, clear as day, about 20 feet away!! He looked at us and amazingly we watched, took pics and videos for a good 40 minutes!! A couple of adults with kids came along and scared him off with all the noise, unfortunately.
Ok holy shit. The beginning of the video is a place I've been going to for almost a decade. That was great. Awesome vid.
Hat down my friend. This video oozes with your charming intelligence,and useful information.
I wish there was more people like you on this planet.
Best wishes.
I have barred, screech and great horned owls in the woods behind my home in a rural part of CT.I have always loved hearing them at night. And occassionally having them fly over me when I walk in the woods (you hear nothing, but see a huge shadow move across you). But I learned so much from this video. Usefull when looking for other birds as well. Thank you so much. Jennifer
What an adorable, precious, calm teacher you are!
Great horned owls have mating calls in the late autumn early winter. The sound awesome!
Don't get a big head but that was excellent. So far I've got a screech owl and great horned on my property in south east South Dakota. I''ve seen long eared and short eared and snowy and barred in my life. I think that's it.
Did not know that about their eye color! Thanks for that. I see hawks frequently in my area, but recently have started to hear a Great Horned Owl on my roof around 3-4 am. I love to hear it up there.
In Western Australia we have the amazing Boobook owl. They're hilarious and cute, tiny lil fluffy owls with massive ear holes
You did an exceptional job with this video! Here in southeastern Michigan, we have several “Metroparks”. Among the several nature events that they offer, one is an evening “owl prowl”. I went to one recently, and that night, luckily, our guide attracted 3 screech owls. It was fascinating. This was one of the last owl prowls of the season, because soon these owls will be laying eggs.
I live in Houston and I have family by Kensington, but do you know if they have any types of owl prowls at Kensington or around the area?
@@xavier-qu7ye Howdy! Check the Metroparks website to find events listed for your nearest park; i.e. Kensington Metropark. Registration is required in advance, and there is usually a small fee. My owl prowl was at the Lake Erie Metropark.
@@painterlady7931 thank you, I appreciate it
@@xavier-qu7ye yes they do, there is also a GHO living in a bucket in a tree at Kensington.
I love great horned owls! I was visiting at Florida and some what stayed up late, I feel asleep alittoe, and then I woke up hearing a great horned owl! It was faint, but it was so awsome to hear it! I know alot about birds, and when I'm older I want to be a ornithologist, or a park ranger. Thank you for this information! Owls are one of my favorite birds!
I moved from living in a city for most of my life, to upstate NY- and the birds around where I live are plentiful- I recently ID'd a Great Horned Owl that I hear outside my window almost every night for the past couple of weeks. I like how you paired the hawk types with the owl types because I just spotted a red tailed hawk a few days ago in a tree outside my house...thank you for this very informative video! I'm still learning too and enjoying reconnecting to nature!!! I may attempt to try and spot the owl one of these days- for now I love knowing he is close by.
Thanks so much. Jersey here. Love our owls in Sussex. Cheers
I was getting my bags from my car and I heard an owl and not gonna lie it kinda scared me at first and I looked on the top of my house and I saw TWO owls haha. I watched them for a little bit and idk what type they were but it was pretty fascinating!
Are you still alive??
@@johngoodman4829 F
I’m enjoying this video at 3 am, no regrets learned something
I'm from Erie, PA and was so pleasantly surprised that so much of the video was related to PA and Western PA to be specific!! Super helpful! I haven't seen an owl in over 2 years, and that was from a far. Last time i saw a owl relatively close was about a decade ago on Presque Isle, it was a barn owl too! 😊💜
Well planned and delivered. The ethics section clarified some points for me, a longtime birder. I feel more ready to find smaller owls now. Big ones have never been a problem.
I love seeing owls 🦉 I just saw a barn owl in Henderson nv a few days ago!
Great video with good information. It’s good that you mentioned the ethics about using playback calls as we often use it not thinking of the consequences. Your example with small and large owl calls is very good.
The owls are mostly quiet in summer here in NE Oklahoma but they've really become vocal past few weeks. Had two pair of Great Horned Owls hooting at dawn, in afternoon, and then evening! Then there are the very loud Barred Owls making their presence known lately.
I was lucky enough to observe the capture and banding of Northern Saw What owls near Montreal. They’re my favourite species, with their outsize, glamorous eyes!
To weigh them, the students would put each one in an empty toilet paper roll, and put that on the scale🤣
My husband and I are going to look for owls for the first time today. Your video was extremely helpful! Thank you!
I am so glad to help! Good luck out there! 🦉
Thank you for the thoughtful and thorough presentation. I love Burrowing Owls!
Very good video there and very well explained in detail and with very good intent. Keep up the amazing work, looking forward for more of your work.
Listen for crows cawing LOUDLY, there's sure to be a raptor of some kind around. That's how I stumbled across my neighborhood owls.
You are incredible. Great information and humor to boot.
3 years ago I was at Crimea peninsula living in tent camp. All night I was hearing otus scops whistling sounds around me. In the morning when I stepped outside my tent I saw a lot of eaten big horned bugs lying around without their heads. Prey of otus scops))
Young man you are incredible. I learned more information about Owls then I was looking for. I was just randomly browsing CZcams and stumbled across your video.and I'm glad I did. Thank You, and I'll be back. No pun interned.
I am so glad you got a lot out of it! Also, I chose to read the last part in my head as “owl be back”
One summer i seen a huge owl in my tree with a little owl next to her . I wish I had a camera . I haven’t seen too many owls in the open many times in life but many times I ce seen those huge wings flying away or hearing them all the time in the evening. They really seem like an amazing bird to me . People do t realize the animals and birds around our homes are constant watching us more than we know .
My favorite is great horned owl, two close encounters with one while looking through telescope.. Think they got used to me being in yard from dusk to midnight; My dogs favorite also, found skunks head and brought in house. Fat fluffy chick that could only glide, glided down into yard 10 feet from me at dusk and missed a rabbit, looked at me and hopped back toward a tree to climb. Few years later at midnight full grown Great Horned owl landed on my deck railing 10 feet from me. I like to think it was the same owl all grown up just saying high but it may have seen my head from turning on laptop and thought I was dinner unit the last second. Scared the tar out of me because all I heard was a bonk when it landed. It starred at me for few seconds then whoosh off it went, was amazing..
Thank you for teaching me about how to know if an owl is nocturnal or diurnal based on eye color
I watch for Blue Jays fussing about. Finally see a poor Owl aggravated trying to take a nap on a limb.
Hey, thanks for an awesome video! I am a Naturalist for Allegheny County and was so excited to see some familiar sights in your video. I'm surprised we never crossed paths! Keep up the great work :)
I had learned a lot from the video , thankss
I chuckled when you showed Pittsburgh on the eBird app. Surprised not to see a bunch of sarcastic tags at the aviary.
The smile in your face after seeing that owl, says everything. The joy of discovering a new bird, join all the birders around the world. Nice video, we need videos like this in my country, Argentina. About your question, my favorite owl is Asio clamator. Cheers and never stop enjoying this wonderfull activity. And how we say in my country, abrazo grande!🧉
I was a part of project owlnet surveying in western MD, it was one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had in the field of wildlife. I highly reccommend getting active and involved
That must have been a very rewarding experience! I am glad you had the chance to get involved.
That video was AWESOME. You're a natural.
My parents have great horned owls in their neighborhood. I’ve seen them a couple times but hear them constantly at night when I go to visit them. I also live in PA
Excellent video, great info about the owls !! Thanks for sharing
Interesting. I’ve used male tree frog calls to find them in the woods in the evening. I just love to see them and they (greys here) camouflage so well.
I’ve heard the owls in the woods at night and now I have information on how to try and look, sans calls of course! Thank you.
You're so lucky to live in a place with water. Watching from the Southwest where it's very dry these days.
Was fortunate enough to see the Northern Saw-Whet Owl Aegilicus acadicus while living in North Carolina! Pretty much the only small area of it’s southern distribution in the Shining Rock Wilderness area! Very tame little owls! Quite a highlight for me and my buddy who were studying fish and wildlife mgmt at a nearby comm. college! Great video! I still head out all the time in search of the various Owl Species! I’ve moved back to the Erie, PA area! Lots of species here!
I am glad you enjoyed the video! I lived in Erie for a short while! There was an Eastern Screech owl I used to visit in Presque Isle State Park. I hope you enjoy owl watching!
For a while I felt like listening to some forbidden fantasy creature summoning directions. Fascinating!
I had a breeding pair on my farm for about 5 years having chicks every year. I can play on my bluetooth the breeding call and territory calls and both mom and dad would show up to investigate my bluetooth speaker UNTIL I left. Iv jad their attention for up to 2 hours sometimes. Great vid kid keep up the great work young brotha.
What a great video! Thanks so much for your focus on ethics. My favorite is the Great Horned Owl. Their pellets are so interesting to dissect.
Owl enthusiast here - thank you for such an informative video, you speak so eloquently! I really liked the way you structured this video as well, makes it enjoyable and easy to follow along. Thank you for including the ethics conversation, I think that is essential for a first time observers to understand. Only fact critique I have for your video is your correlation between eyecolor and the times that they are active. I don’t believe owl eyecolor can give you such an indication. there are many owls with yellow eyes that are purely nocturnal, and owls with black eyes that are crepuscular.
Such a good video! I love the way you narrate! There so much effort put in.. appreciate the knowledge sharing!
I live in the Netherlands and have been working with owls for a few years now. I have actually already seen all of the species that live in my country at least once. Mostly I see Barn Owls, their white colors really can be seen well during the night
Very informative. Thank you!
i like owls. they look very majestic and very silly at the same time
Really interesting and helpful info! I love owls and other birds … and other wildlife. Lived on a mountain and it was such a treat to hear and see them.
I got big into birding and nature photography last summer and this was one of the first owling related videos I watched. I've seen and heard countless owls since then(maybe more than I had seen in my entire life up until last year)and this video was one of the biggest aids in doing so! Thanks for making such a well articulated video.
It means more than I can express to know that my video helped you start your birding journey! Thank you so much for this comment and I hope you continue to have amazing experiences. Best of luck!
@@psychedfornature4366 Of course! I've helped a lot of other people with owling tips since then and have you to thank for getting me started. Looking forward to my first spring migration which I'll be spending roadtripping to the coast of Louisiana!
Ironically I ran across this video today. I’ve been hearing an out for the past few days and found him sitting in a tree in the yard. I think he’s a horned owl but it was too hard for me to tell for sure. It’s an amazing experience.
What a fantastic tutorial video. Thank you so much. I had the honour of seeing an owl in a tree close by at our local dog park conservation area. It was a chance sighting and I felt truly honoured. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. Cheers from Ontario Canada 🤩
Very well written and I especially love the do’s and don’ts!!!!! Thank you for including the don’ts!! I have made mistakes of my own in the past when looking for, as well as viewing owls, and I have seen a lot of mistakes made as well. Thank you, for taking the time to inform and educate! I enjoyed this video!!
This was so interesting! Thank you for sharing. I come from PA and never knew we had so many different species. Thank you for being so respectful of them and their habitat and especially of their wellbeing.
Found the part about the alarms rodents give to be particularly helpful. Thanks!
So interesting. I just discovered owls in my backyard trees. Thank you.
I am so glad! Enjoy learning about your new feathered neighbors!
Excellent information! Thank you for the tips!
I have two favorites… The screech because it sort of purrrrsss Number one Favorite is the Barred Owl I love the very dark eyes and The Who cooks for you hoot
Great video, very insightful. Thank you.
13:53 your video is informative on so many levels, with a touch of humor as well. I applaud your efforts and look forward to seeing more videos from you. Keep up the great work!
Thanks for the great video and for all the references. You are my new "Go-to-guy" when it comes to bird info.
I was once followed by an owl. I first saw it on Amherst Island and a few weeks later the same barred owl appeared again to me just outside Hamilton. Over 300km away.
i recognize that intro. crouse run! I just got into owling within the past year. i'm totally hooked. I live nearby and have found barred, great horned, and screech in the woods behind my house. the barred owls are the loudest and most active here. i've also noticed I can get very close to screech owls compared to the other two species.
I am so excited you recognized Crouse Run! It sounds like you have had some great luck. Also, I have noticed the same thing about screech owls! I hope you continue to have great experiences.
One of the most rewarding jobs I've had was owl cruising in Six Rivers Forest in California. Target species was Northern spotted owls. No nests located, but several pairs in our survey area were identified and observed.
This was such a fascinating video! Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
Thank you so much for your video,,
My son and I have been looking at every park we go to, no luck.
Now to your video, we just might have a chance...
THANK YOU
I enjoyed your video very much, a few good tips. Thankyou! A couple of my favorite owls here in Australia are the Powerful Owl and the Barking Owl. Cheers.
My favorite is the burrowing or pygmy owl. We have burrowing near my house in rural western Colorado. During night classes when I was younger, there was a great horned that used to sit on top of a light pole in the parking lot to eat the mice and roaches from the cheap restaurants nearby.
Thank you - I now see things from their perspective and will respect their space.
this is one of those questions that's always kust kindof there but you don't go out of your wayy to find the answer.
Hi, Im in Bergen Co NJ. I recently moved to a house with a small wooded area behind our backyard. I have heard a screech owl from my yard but I have never actually seen it. I'm always looking though. I have seen and heard a few great horned owls though. Have some great videos of a pair of them chasing each other through the woods behind my house. So awesome to see.
That is fantastic! I am not sure if it will help, but I find that I spot screech owls the most at dusk when I have found them peeking out of holes high up in trees. Best of luck with your owling!
Yep at dusk for sure. Sounded like a horse winnie in a tree. I was confused. I will keep looking. Great video 👍🏻
I have screech owl’s most, I love their calls! I have taken some really great pictures of them in my bird bath, in the ground in the sprinkler just really adorable owls !
Excellent video. Great information. We want to observe the birds but NOT invade their space or cause them stress. So, bird calls are OUT. A good rule of thumb to follow: If the bird changes its behavior once you arrive on the scene, you're too close. Also, flashlights with a red light (instead of or in addition to a white one) are cheap and will preserve the owl's night vision- and your own.
you are a wealth of knowledge and wisdom!! thank you for sharing 💕
if one ever has spare cash laying around, i highly recommend getting a nightvision monocular with infrared(being able to take pictures/video optional ofcourse) so you can go out bird spotting at night, their calls are ever revealing as to when and where you should look. great times, doesnt apply to photographers obviously lol, but if youre just there to observe, invest if you have some laying around on the side!
edit: depends on which type of owl is in your area ofcourse, in my neck of the woods, theyre more often than not nocturnal
You're amazing. Keep it up. Spent 20 mins filming a barred owl 3 days ago in Portland ME. I love owls. Spending time with them is so magical. Thanks for sharing your tips. My favorite encounters so far have been with great horned although I'm dying to find snowy owls now that I'm in Maine. Please make videos about how to find the more obscure like snowy, screech, and barn.
Great video from one birder to another. I’m also in PA - about two hours east in Altoona. Bird conservation is a huge passion of mine. I’ve been trying to pinpoint some local short eared owls this winter but I only seem to catch a glimpse. Crossing fingers I can see one this week. I’d say my favorite owl is the Barred Owl. It’s the owl I see and hear most, and it has such a ghostly look.
Great Video, I'm from Guyana, South America, our most common at nights on the coast where i live are barn owls and great horned owls, also in sandy areas mostly inland are burrowing owls, those are my favorite as each little guy has character and spunk and they don't scare easily, which comes out easily in photos. Thank you for this video, I did learn a few things.
Had thought sighting Owl to be always incidental to me. Nice compilation and research to help target sightation. I Appreciate ur efforts and work
I love your videos so much! Thank you ❤❤❤😊😊😊 I live In Wisconsin in the middle of nowhere and one time while I was just sitting outside watching the stars between a bunch of trees, a HUGE Great Horned owl flew over me! It was huge and beautiful! And it made no sound at all! He just glided overhead and disappeared into the night like a silent wisp. Something I will never forget. Nature is simply amazing! 🦉
What a great video! Thank you so much! I'll be watching more of yours.
Thank you for explaining what calling can do.I was on my back deck one night and did the call back to an owl call,the next thing i knew i could hear it's wings flapping appx 4 feet from my head.This wasn't a pleasan't feel, it scared me more than i would have expected (lol). I never did do that again, nice to know another reason not to !