Ok, I discovered yesterday there are now three owls or more in my neighborhood, at least one in my backyard, one in the front yard and they are apparently nesting there. I knew there was one last year but I have never been able to actually see it, let alone get a photo of them. So whats the trick to finding them?

JS

OWLS have already nested and are now fledging their young about now. What kind of owls are they and do you hear them at night or early morning? I can call them in by mouth, but great horned owls eat screech owls and will swoop at your head sometimes.

Hear is how to find great horned owls....

Every living creature needs to take a crap, so walk thtough the woods and find the tree which has white wash undernieth it ;) Look up and find the very large stick nest in the tree or the males guard tree :) Just because you hear an owl in the front yard doesn't mean it's nesting there. Owls comunicate from a great distance apart. When you here the owl call imitate it and eventually if it's good enough it'll fly in close. Don't over do it though.

Here are all the north american owls. Find the one you think you have(great horned I will bet) and click that image. from there listen to the media file(call) and practice.

http://owling.com/Owling.htm

Thanks Paul,
I haven't seen them yet, only heard them, three of them late afternoon early evening. I have mostly pine trees front and back with a few maples thrown in out back. It's so thick it's hard to see anything up in the trees. I'll take a look though, Thanks for the help!

JS

Paul,

OMG! You should have seen Cassie when I played those recordings of the owls! Some she just went nuts....it was funny to watch her face. She is bit mad at the moment though.....her ears are pinned back. She doesn't like the police scanner either though, but she will have to get used to that :)
JS

play a barn owl ;) They are freaky sounding.

Tell you what, learn the screech owl calls. Obviously they come to there owl call, but once a large owl hears it, the larger ones come for dinner. During the day the call atracts song birds to attack the screech ;) Calling owls is done between dusk and dawn though(but for a few species that will hunt during the day too)

Paul,

You were right great horned is exactly what I hear, but oddly enough I heard it the other day and today around 11am as well. Tonight I think I figured out which tree one is in, and another where they have been hanging out.....right above my riding mower :eek: It needs washed before it gets used tomorrow!

Now to actually get a photo them.
Also, while taking my puppy to the vet today for a shot I found a place where there were several redtail hawks.....and I didn't have the camera with me! :mad: I have to go back tomorrow so I'll have it then. They were flying just off the ground today too, maybe 15 feet and right near the road. I could have had some sweet shots!

JS