1. Find a barn...or similar structure that has owl-sized entrances. (Ask permission before birding on private property.)
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| Steve Hofhine checking out a Say's Phoebe outside of the picture. Convenient owl entrances in this barn. |
2. Look for owl pellets on the ground.
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| A sure sign of active Barn Owls |
3. Look up into the rafters.
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| Do you see it? |
4. Zoom in for a better look.
(Digiscoped with Swarovski ATX spotting scope and handheld iPhone 4s)
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| "I'll partially open one eye to acknowledge your presence. Check out my killer talons which are used to dispatch rodents all around this farm." |
AWESOME!
Awesome indeed!
ReplyDeleteNow I need to go make friends with some farmers. :)
Wow- What a score! They are very scarce in Connecticut but I imagine the more barns around the better chance of Barn Owls.
ReplyDeleteI love it when you find a species doing just exactly what you'd expect.
ReplyDeleteOh you make it sound so very easy...
ReplyDeleteI'd have better luck building my own barn and stocking it with mice I think.
cool owl
ReplyDeleteThanks all. Laurence, this post was a little tongue-in-cheek as seeing Barn Owls is often not as easy as one would hope. I have actually been checking this very barn for seven years and this is the first year I have seen Barn Owls or pellets there. In Utah, on Antelope Island, I found Barn Owls in trees, and Great Horned Owls in barns. According to eBird, Maine and Alaska are the only Barn Owl-less states. Even Hawaii has them.
ReplyDeleteIndeedy, the only wild Barn Owl I've seen in the last 3 years was dead. So, if you got Great-horned in a barn, can you at least count it as a hybrid?????
DeleteFabulous Owls! My friend had one roost in her eaves on year. A treasure to see.
ReplyDeleteAwesome indeed! I wonder if they always sleep with their talons curled like that! Good Job Robert!
ReplyDeleteHmmm.... I can think of a few abandoned barns on fieldwork routes that definitely need to be checked for barn owls... A few years ago we found a snake skeleton in one, but a barn owl would be much cooler!
ReplyDeleteFantastic! Barn Owls are so very beautiful.
ReplyDelete