View Full Version : Owls?
i was browsing the guides on the home page, and read something about calling owls into camp....
is this purely for the enjoyment of having a cool creature hanging out with you? or do they provide some source of benefit?
thanks, and i appoligize for the ignorance...
IMHO, it's both. They are very cool. I saw an owl at Eagle Creek last month on the Lakeshore Trail in the Smokies. and rest assured, if there is an owl in your camp, there will be no other critters, ie mice snakes, etc.
Owls, give a Hoot, and don't pollute!
bigcranky
11-22-2007, 16:27
We had owls in camp a couple of years ago, out in front of the Old Orchard shelter in Virginia. It was late April, a nice cool evening, just after sunset when a pair of barred owls landed in the trees nearby and began hooting softly. We just lay on the ground outside our tent and listened. Suddenly one of the owls came much closer, then flew right over our heads and landed on the ground next to our tent. At that point he was maybe 6 feet away from us. He was mostly ignoring us, and staring intently up at the sky. Then he sort of hopped over our heads and landed on the other side, closer this time. Still staring at the sky.
A moment later he leaped into the air and snatched a large beetle that was flying overhead, then flew into a nearby tree to enjoy his snack. We realized that by standing on the ground the beetles were silhouetted against the brighter sky. (Mmmmm, fresh beetles....)
I've enjoyed listening to barred owls (and great horned owls) while lying in my sleeping bag after dark. It's a great way to go to sleep. But I'd never had one in camp with me before or since.
wow seems like an awesome event there Big Cranky, pretty cool story...
i think ill be bringing a call with me! i would be alot happier knowing that there isnt a gang of critters crawling on me ... !!! haha
Also...are owls a rare occurance on the AT? or would it be somewhat easy to call them in? i live in New Jersey, and i can honestly saw ive never seen or heard one, while camping around here (Kittatiny, DWG, etc)
I was thinking the same thing... as a rodent deterrant and exterminator.
On the other hand, I was jolted awake one night by what I describe as a strangling 7-year old child. I later learned that it was a barn owl... That is one noise I do not want to hear in the middle of the night!!
Also...are owls a rare occurance on the AT? )
Theres at least 2 at Springer... they sit up in the trees and "argue" all night...:cool:
Theres at least 2 at Springer... they sit up in the trees and "argue" all night...:cool:
hahaha, im taking you know that from expierience??
:-?:D
I have two to three owls that are regulars in the treeline by my house. They are actually great for the purpose of catching rodents.
rainmaker
11-22-2007, 21:49
I was thinking the same thing... as a rodent deterrant and exterminator.
On the other hand, I was jolted awake one night by what I describe as a strangling 7-year old child. I later learned that it was a barn owl... That is one noise I do not want to hear in the middle of the night!!
Madame and I were camping on the AT in Penn. several weeks ago when we also heard the unmistakenable call of the of the Barn Owl, a seven year old being strangled. The sucker just wouldn't quit so after a while I started with my best impression of a Great Horned owl. Things got quiet and we went back to sleep.
Here it is, make sure you sound is on LOW!
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/DTrapp/barn1.wav
On the second night of my hike last year, I was sitting in my hammock listening to a great horned owl hoo-ing away and then I almost crapped myself when it swooped down under my hammock, and snatched a squealing mouse off my backpack as it flew out the other side -- all in one fell swoop (literally)!
I witnessed almost that very same thing... my parents house has huge windows in front and back, you can see thru the house... their cat was walking past the rear window about dusk and all of a sudden there was this huge THUD crashing into the window.
The cat freaked, I freaked. Turned on the patio light and there was a barred owl recovering for a bad headache, perched on the back of a patio chair... poor guy.
at the james fry/tagg run shelter, i woke up btn 2-3am and there were two owls in a near by tree having a conversation, it was the most beautiful thing i had ever heard, i hated that i was there by myself w/ no one else to hear it. they went on for an hour or so.
also while night hiking got a picture of what i'm pretty positive was a great horned owl, based on its size and color and the area, he just sat there looking at me, didn't fly away, the picture u can see his glowing eyes and ear tuffs... http://web.mac.com/thickredhair/AT_Fall_07/In_Pictures/In_Pictures.html in the dunncannon to harper's ferry section.
Jim Adams
11-22-2007, 23:50
I love listening to owls. Nice stories!
geek
i was browsing the guides on the home page, and read something about calling owls into camp....
is this purely for the enjoyment of having a cool creature hanging out with you? or do they provide some source of benefit?
thanks, and i appoligize for the ignorance...If you want to soar with the eagles, you shouldn't be out howling with the owls.
They are very cool though. My favourite is the Snowy Owl.
http://www.nrdc.org/water/conservation/hbyear/images/jan1.jpg
They are very cool though. My favourite is the Snowy Owl.
A few years back there was a Snowy Owl that accidentally made its way to the local airport in Heath Ohio (several hundred miles out of its normal range), and hung around for about a week. Definitely one of the coolest birds that I have seen in person, though he looked a little out of place with his winter plumage hanging out in the green grass.
Do not hike at night with the rabbit fur Mad Bomber.
Good way to find owls during the day is when you can't figure out why the crows are so spastic. Aha.
Hooters are my all time favorites too!
A Few years ago I was riding my mountain bike near a local trail when I saw a baby robin in the middle of the road- so I stoped and took the baby bird to the side and out of danger but as soon as I turned around a large owl swooped down and took the bird. What a great help I was...
Hooters are my all time favorites too!
I heard they have good wings?
Yea, but their airline service sucks! Hmm maybe thats why they went under...
CoyoteWhips
11-23-2007, 20:11
I witnessed almost that very same thing... my parents house has huge windows in front and back, you can see thru the house... their cat was walking past the rear window about dusk and all of a sudden there was this huge THUD crashing into the window.
The cat freaked, I freaked. Turned on the patio light and there was a barred owl recovering for a bad headache, perched on the back of a patio chair... poor guy.
Man, indoor cat dodged the bullet there. I have no doubt a good sized owl could take a house cat.
This cat was enough for 3 meals! No small kitty there!
Nightwalker
11-23-2007, 22:47
Funny one, to me at least.
The first time that I ever heard a Screech Owl was from a tree directly above my tent at around midnight. I almost trashed my little tent waking up, sitting up and thrashing around. It was an experience indeed. :)
Years ago, before HWAs ruined them, a row of mature hemlocks stood just across the road from where I live. Sometimes on summer nights, I fell asleep to the calls of screech owls in those trees.
Those hemlocks have since been replaced with a row of Norway spruce. I hope as the spruces get older, screech owls will find them and visit again.
Sissygirl
11-29-2007, 19:37
OMGoodness.. I did have the sound on low... 7 year-old? How about several of them.
Here it is, make sure you sound is on LOW!
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/DTrapp/barn1.wav
Barn Owls would be rare on the AT. The owls you're most likely to hear are;
Barred
Eastern Screech
Great Horned
And at some high elevations, possibly a Saw whet.
I heard a pair of Great gray owls on the JMT as I lay under the stars on night #1 - just south of Half Dome. Priceless!
This is not a hiking story, but it is an owl story. I was fishing behind my dad's house in central flrodia. It was just after dusk and really getting hard to see. I was using a soft plastic, floating, jerk bait (if floats on top and looks like an injured fish). An owl came out of the trees from behind me. It flew just over my head, by a couple of feet, and snatched the lure right out of the water. It scared the crap out of me and I threw my rod to the ground. Once the line became taught, the lure was jerked out of the owl's talons. It flew up to the trees and just stared at me until I decided to call it a night!!!!!!!
The crazy thing was that the very next week, I was fishing the same pond/lake. It was during the day and I was trying to land an average sized small mouth bass. An Ospray came down and grabed my fish from the water. This time I was not as frieghtened and I fought back. We played tug of war for a few seconds until the bird turned lose. The fish was ripped up pretty bad so I just placed it on the ground and went home. I figured the bird would come back and finish it off.
I know how it happen you did not have a fish it was a bird pole.
Barn Owls would be rare on the AT. The owls you're most likely to hear are;
Barred
Eastern Screech
Great Horned
And at some high elevations, possibly a Saw whet.
I heard a pair of Great gray owls on the JMT as I lay under the stars on night #1 - just south of Half Dome. Priceless!
Barn Owls inhabit most of the AT, I think they are probably not as vocal as the others...
warraghiyagey
11-30-2007, 02:59
Hooters are my all time favorites too!
K. You started it.
I heard they have good wings?
Yes, and breasts and thighs.
Yea, but their airline service sucks! Hmm maybe thats why they went under...
Sweet!!!!!!
Barn Owls inhabit most of the AT, I think they are probably not as vocal as the others...
Cuffs, while you can certainly find Barn Owls along the AT, their preferred habitat is not generally what you find along the AT - with some exceptions.
HABITAT: These owls prefer open lowlands with some trees, including farmlands, plantations, urban areas, various forest types, semiarid shrub lands, and marshes.
from: http://www.peregrinefund.org/Explore_Raptors/owls/barnowl.html
I have seen/heard 4 or 5 Barn Owls in my life. A couple in Costa Rica in a palm oil plantation. And a couple here in Tennessee in silos during the Audubon Christmas Count.
Which are the owls that make the incredibly loud "HOO HOO." Is that barred owls? We've got some in the woods behind our house. In the middle of the city of Charlotte. The like to hang around our compost bin, competing with the cat for rodents. I stopped putting seed in the finch feeders because they had turned into owl feeders.
Which are the owls that make the incredibly loud "HOO HOO." Is that barred owls? We've got some in the woods behind our house. In the middle of the city of Charlotte. The like to hang around our compost bin, competing with the cat for rodents. I stopped putting seed in the finch feeders because they had turned into owl feeders.
Great Horned make the hoo hoo sound. I suspect that's what you have, although I wouldn't expect a Horned owl to feed on finches. That sounds like Sharp Shinned or Coopers Hawks.
Owls calling at night is my favorite sound.
I'm also an alumna of Temple University. In the back window of my old minivan you'll find two stickers. One is an ATC emblem and the other is a "Temple Owls are Everywhere" sticker. Those of us who attended Temple in the commuter days can still be heard greeting each other with a weak "hoot hoot" and a slight eye roll. It's a Temple thing.
SBA Class of '84
I never actually saw an owl get a finch, but a pair of owls were hanging around the area. (The compost bin and the finch feeder were fairly close to each other.) A couple of times we saw the owls perching in the tree where the finch feeder was, before I took it down.
We could (and often still can) hear the owls hoo-hooing at night, and several times we were very startled by walking near one and having it take off and fly--huge and silent--right in front of our faces in the dark, or semi-dark. The danged things won't hold still for long enough for me to get a positive ID with a bird book. (I'm not very good with bird IDs. Obviously.) They are loud as the dickens. We can hear them in the house with the windows closed and the A/C running. I'm not sure how tall they are, but they seem enormous when they fly past close by.
I never actually saw an owl get a finch, but a pair of owls were hanging around the area. (The compost bin and the finch feeder were fairly close to each other.) A couple of times we saw the owls perching in the tree where the finch feeder was, before I took it down.
We could (and often still can) hear the owls hoo-hooing at night, and several times we were very startled by walking near one and having it take off and fly--huge and silent--right in front of our faces in the dark, or semi-dark. The danged things won't hold still for long enough for me to get a positive ID with a bird book. (I'm not very good with bird IDs. Obviously.) They are loud as the dickens. We can hear them in the house with the windows closed and the A/C running. I'm not sure how tall they are, but they seem enormous when they fly past close by.
Marta, I'm sure that you heard the Barred Owl call "Who cooks for you. Who cooks for you all." Sometimes with multiple birds, it can get quite raucous.
A Horned Owl has a simple "Hoo Hoo" call, and is much more likely to be found in an urban area than a Barred Owl.
That was my point with the Barn Owl. They certainly aren't "rare." But they prefer farm fields and places where the trail often doesn't go. The Cumberland Valley and New Jersey between High Point State Park and Vernon are places that Barn Owls would be expected to be found.
One more thing... Smaller owls like Screech and Barn Owls are often quiet if they inhabit an area where Barred and Horned Owls are found. A Barred or Horned Owl will make a meal of a smaller owl, given the opportunity.
Cuffs, while you can certainly find Barn Owls along the AT, their preferred habitat is not generally what you find along the AT - with some exceptions.
HABITAT: These owls prefer open lowlands with some trees, including farmlands, plantations, urban areas, various forest types, semiarid shrub lands, and marshes.
from: http://www.peregrinefund.org/Explore_Raptors/owls/barnowl.html
I have seen/heard 4 or 5 Barn Owls in my life. A couple in Costa Rica in a palm oil plantation. And a couple here in Tennessee in silos during the Audubon Christmas Count.
Thats was my understanding too until I heard them night after night on the Pinhoti. I was not in the same area (thru hiking) any given night. As you know, the area is very forested, no shrubs, definately no marshes or plantations... :)I was definatley surprised to learn they were there and very vocal!
barefoot
11-30-2007, 11:48
There are two owls at Groundhog Shelter. They start talking to each other around 2AM! Later on a different trip I took a church high school group there. Forgotten to mention the owls.@ 2AM they started talking. I heard the kids saying that it was the adults trying to scare them. City kids!
Mowgli,
on the Sharp shinned vs Coopers, other than the tail shape how can you tell the 2 apart at a distance? I have both in my area, but unless I get a look at the tail (square vs rounded) i cant tell them apart...
john gault
11-30-2007, 12:36
In 2005 I was stealth camping in a remote area, during a preparation hike for my ’06 thru-hike. Before this I’d never heard of any sound coming from an owl, other than "whoo".
I had just laid down and remember feeling very comfortable and nicely drifting off to sleep after an arduous day’s hike. At the point where I was near sleep all of a sudden the most horrible screeching sound came from about 20 feet above my head. It hit me like a jolt of lightening and I was basically paralyzed. I’ve heard the term "blood-curdling" scream, but now I know how a "blood-curdling" scream feels. This is no exaggeration; visions of hanging stick figures flooded my mind, the same stick figures in the movie Blair Witch Project. I’ve never been more frightened in my life. I’m a very rational and analytical person, but, for a time I thought I had set up camp near the Blair Witch’s domain. Over time I realized that this awful sound must be some type of animal, but I could not figure what it was since it was coming from above and not off in the distance; never imagined it was an owl or any other type of bird.
I later learned that owls make this terrible screaming noise, but why? Why do they do it? It’s as if the only reason for that scary sound was to scare the hell out of me, he wasn’t threatened, why did he do it?
To this day when I hear a recording of that sound I can feel my blood curdle.
Who is John Gault?
See post #11 in this thread... is that what you heard?
john gault
11-30-2007, 12:49
Who is John Gault?
See post #11 in this thread... is that what you heard?
That's pretty close, I remember thinking that the sound was so human-like, just didn't sound like any animal I've ever heard.
I had an owl in camp once... a screech owl. That's a heck of a way to be awoken in the middle of the night, let me tell you.
also while night hiking got a picture of what i'm pretty positive was a great horned owl, based on its size and color and the area, he just sat there looking at me, didn't fly away, the picture u can see his glowing eyes and ear tuffs... http://web.mac.com/thickredhair/AT_Fall_07/In_Pictures/In_Pictures.html in the dunncannon to harper's ferry section.
Nice shot of a Wood Turtle. The pod that you weren't familiar looks like Milkweed, the host plant for the Monarch Butterfly.
on the Sharp shinned vs Coopers, other than the tail shape how can you tell the 2 apart at a distance? I have both in my area, but unless I get a look at the tail (square vs rounded) i cant tell them apart...
The Coopers Hawk is larger. Other than that any differences are very subtle, though I'm not sure what they are. In my area the Coopers are more common or at least less bashful, and are notorious for ambushing bird feeders. One of my friends even had a Coopers Hawk that would chase birds from the feeder into their sliding glass door. How's that for working smarter, not harder?
The Coopers Hawk is larger. Other than that any differences are very subtle, though I'm not sure what they are. In my area the Coopers are more common or at least less bashful, and are notorious for ambushing bird feeders. One of my friends even had a Coopers Hawk that would chase birds from the feeder into their sliding glass door. How's that for working smarter, not harder?
The Coopers hawk and Sharp shinned hawk are hard to tell apart. There are a number of ways to differentiate the species in the field, and they all take considerable practice.
The Cooper's hawk's head projects beyond the bird's wrist (front of the wing). The head of a Coopers hawk can be seen sticking out beyond the leading edge of the wing. That is not the case with a Sharp shinned hawk.
A Sharpie has a squared off tail. The Coop's tail is more rounded
The Coop is larger than the Sharpie, but unless they are seen side by side, it is difficult to make a judgment. Also, since females are larger than males, a large female Sharpie is slightly smaller than a male Coop.
The flap. You'd have to see it repeatedly to know how to differentiate the two birds. The cadence of the Sharpie's flap is quick and predictable. Flap, flap, flap, glide. A Coop's flap is sometimes described as arthritic.
For those interested in this subject, the best field guide is Hawks in Flight by Dunne, Sibley & Sutton. Get the book and head to your local hawk watch.
Mowgli,
on the Sharp shinned vs Coopers, other than the tail shape how can you tell the 2 apart at a distance? I have both in my area, but unless I get a look at the tail (square vs rounded) i cant tell them apart...
At a hawk watch, that single field mark is usually not considered enough to make a positive ID. See above.
For those not aware, I have spent many hundreds of hours at the Mount Peter Hawk Watch in Warwick, and at other watches in NY, NJ & PA. Hawk watching is one of my favorite hobbies.
Coopers Hawk in flight. Notice the rounded tail and the way the head projects out. Plus, you get a look at the bird flapping.
http://americanhiking.chattablogs.com/archives/043388.html
Mother's Finest
11-30-2007, 14:19
Here it is, make sure you sound is on LOW!
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/DTrapp/barn1.wav
thanks Cuffs,
We have barn owls here in Philadelphia.....At least in the Northwest portion of town.
For the past couple of months, I have been awoken at night by that very sound you just provided. Sometimes close to my rowhouse, sometimes seeminly farther away. The first time, I was really freaked out by the humanesque qualities of the sound.
Good to know it is an owl and not another victim of philadelphia violence
peace
mf
Mother's Finest
11-30-2007, 14:22
In 2005 I was stealth camping in a remote area, during a preparation hike for my ’06 thru-hike. Before this I’d never heard of any sound coming from an owl, other than "whoo".
I had just laid down and remember feeling very comfortable and nicely drifting off to sleep after an arduous day’s hike. At the point where I was near sleep all of a sudden the most horrible screeching sound came from about 20 feet above my head. It hit me like a jolt of lightening and I was basically paralyzed. I’ve heard the term "blood-curdling" scream, but now I know how a "blood-curdling" scream feels. This is no exaggeration; visions of hanging stick figures flooded my mind, the same stick figures in the movie Blair Witch Project. I’ve never been more frightened in my life. I’m a very rational and analytical person, but, for a time I thought I had set up camp near the Blair Witch’s domain. Over time I realized that this awful sound must be some type of animal, but I could not figure what it was since it was coming from above and not off in the distance; never imagined it was an owl or any other type of bird.
I later learned that owls make this terrible screaming noise, but why? Why do they do it? It’s as if the only reason for that scary sound was to scare the hell out of me, he wasn’t threatened, why did he do it?
To this day when I hear a recording of that sound I can feel my blood curdle.
brother you just verbalized what I was feeling in my above post....
peace
mf
Here are a few of my favorite owl sightings.
I grew up in an old farm house in central Ohio, and every so often Barn Owls would take up residence in, of all places, our barn. Not too skiddish, usually the would just watch you as you watched them.
When I was about 10, I found a Great Horned Owl, frozen solid, still had bark in its talons where it fell from the branch. We tried to get it mounted, but no taxidermist in the area would do it because they were worried that the game warden would get suspicious.
My favorite sighting was of a Screech Owl (red phase) that perched on top of our front porch screen door, while it was open. The little fella sat there for about twenty minutes and watched us even though we were only about five feet away. Very cool memory.
taildragger
11-30-2007, 14:42
I love talking to owls in the early mornings in my tree stands during Dec. Although a little too much hooting and you'll have a large silent visitor appear (somewhat spooky when you see that fly right up next to you).
For those not aware, I have spent many hundreds of hours at the Mount Peter Hawk Watch in Warwick, and at other watches in NY, NJ & PA. Hawk watching is one of my favorite hobbies.
Wow, my birding resume is not nearly that impressive, though I did see a Chicken Hawk once. I hear they're pretty rare.
I go out walking most every night. On a city trail, under some huge high power lines along a railroad line. There are two or three owls out there, about the same place every night. One night, one was sitting down low on a soccer goal, instead of up high. I shined a light on him. He peered back. I took a step. He took flight. MASSIVE bird. Not a sound as he flew way up high, and then gave me a "hoot". A few weeks back, there was three of them pearched on two different power poles. All kinds of hooting going on and talking. They totally ignored me that night.
A few nights later, a mile away from where they usually are, I climbed a hill and there are some post up there. I was within about 15 feet of the last pole when this owl, that I'd not seen in the dark, decided I was too close and took off. Scared me to death.....
I go out walking most every night. On a city trail, under some huge high power lines along a railroad line. There are two or three owls out there, about the same place every night.
Go look underneath where yo see them perched, and you'll find owl pellets.
Sounds like Great Horned from the description & habitat.
So, anyone else use a tape recorder to call them in?
And if one doesn't over do this, are we stressing them out too much?
I figure its OK to mess with them just a bit.
But what do I know.
So, anyone else use a tape recorder to call them in?
And if one doesn't over do this, are we stressing them out too much?
I figure its OK to mess with them just a bit.
But what do I know.
I've done it off my back porch with Screech Owls. I have several friends who can replicate the Barred owl call really well.
Another friend does a great Raven call. We were atop Table Rock Mountain in SC when a Raven flew nearby. My buddy does his Raven call, and the bird drops out of the sky like it was shot. It comes looking for the "other Raven", and flies low over the canopy above our heads. Awesome!
Nice shot of a Wood Turtle. The pod that you weren't familiar looks like Milkweed, the host plant for the Monarch Butterfly.
ahhhh, why didn't i think of that, i don't think i've ever seen it in that stage, yeh to learning new things everyday
Footslogger
12-01-2007, 12:49
My one and only owl sighting along the AT occured the morning I hiked out of North Woodstock, on the way up to Franconia Ridge in the Whites during my thru in 2003. It was a rather unforgettable day.
Long story short ...I was dealing with really bad kidney stone issues and had a really bad attack as I started up the hill toward Liberty Spring campsite. I dropped into hypothermia and had to be rescued by other hikers. After the episode had passed I decided to backtrack into North Woodstock for some R & R. As I started to hike back toward the road crossing I heard rustling in the trees above my head. I looked up and spotted a rather large owl.
http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/1/5/0/Owl2.jpg (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=20333&original=1&c=675)
I was able to snap off several pics like this one because the owl flew from tree to tree as if it was following me, pretty much all the way back to the highway. Seemed like a rather symbolic experience to me - - never have and never will forget that day, for many reasons ...the owl being one of them.
'Slogger
Good thing you hadn't read "I heard the Owl Call my Name" recently.
The message could have been misinterpreted (ie that you were going to die).
Footslogger
12-01-2007, 13:20
Good thing you hadn't read "I heard the Owl Call my Name" recently.
The message could have been misinterpreted (ie that you were going to die).
=====================================
Hadn't read it ...but truth be told I thought for a bit that my number was up that day - owl or no owl.
'Slogger
JohnnyBongo
12-01-2007, 13:30
Three or four years ago we lost a cat to an owl. The little guy was in the backyard one minute and gone the next. All we found were a few feathers. My dad looked up a biologist who id'ed the feathers as an owl (not sure what breed). The biologist reassured us that at least the cat never knew what hit him, and it was probably over in an instant. Keep those small pets inside at dawn and dusk was the other piece of advice he gave us.
john gault
12-01-2007, 23:21
Three or four years ago we lost a cat to an owl. The little guy was in the backyard one minute and gone the next. All we found were a few feathers. My dad looked up a biologist who id'ed the feathers as an owl (not sure what breed). The biologist reassured us that at least the cat never knew what hit him, and it was probably over in an instant. Keep those small pets inside at dawn and dusk was the other piece of advice he gave us.
Same thing happened to my uncle, who just bought a farm and about 5 (kittens) to keep pests away, he now only has two cats.
ChimneySpring
12-03-2007, 11:51
We have barred, barn, and great horned owls throughout the area in Bluemont. I saw a great horned owl last year during daylight hours, which is pretty rare. One way to know that one may be in the area is to pay attention if you see/hear crows acting really adgitated. Like their distain for hawks, crows really hate owls. Seems owls have a pesky way of snatching young crows right off the tree branch when out on their nightime hunting excursions.
john gault
12-03-2007, 12:04
What type of Owl is this (http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=20376&original=1&c=member&imageuser=6936)?
What type of Owl is this (http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=20376&original=1&c=member&imageuser=6936)?
Barred.
who cooks for you,who cooks for you all.
who cooks for you,who cooks for you all.
Probably the commonest owl you'll encounter the length of the trail. I heard them regularly - day & night. Just south of Bland/Bastian I heard a Raven & Barred Owl calling simultaneously in the mid morning hours.
During my 07 thru hike owls were very common in the south. The cheese cake factory was the first place I heard them. Nothing like waking up to the sound of an owl killing its prey. I spent a night in Punch Bowl Shelter by myself and found it hard to get back to sleep after an owl killed something. A sound everyone should hear once in the lifetime. I enjoyed their calls.
Darwin again
12-03-2007, 21:15
In '05 I was hiking in Vermont and stopped around dark after a long day. I was sitting in the door of my tent stirring my pot of dinner by headlamp when I heard a rustling behind me. Spooked, I gave a blow on my whistle to scare off whatever it was out there. The leaf rustler took off and I commenced eating. About ten minutes later, I heard a slight sound in the tree above me, then a REALLY loud hoot.
I figure my whistle sounded like a screaming rodent, rabbit or something and the owl cruised up to investigate. Very cool.