Barred Owl - Habitat Photos

Hello everyone,

I thought I'd put together an album that shows the type of habitat that barred owls prefer so that you might know what to look for in your areas in hopes of finding them.

They prefer roosting in deciduous trees where their feather patterns camouflage them very well, while looking for their prey in grassy, often marshy areas along with some farmers fields with corn stalk still present. I've seen them hunt successfully for voles, mice, frogs, snakes, and other smaller owls such as long eared owls.

They really blend in well. I never see owls around here, but it's probably from just not looking closely enough.

great set, love the light in 4&5 and that peeking out shot in 3

Great shots Attila. #4 really shows how he blends in with the tree.

Jon Clemens wrote in post #15274503
They really blend in well. I never see owls around here, but it's probably from just not looking closely enough.

rick_reno wrote in post #15274516
great set, love the light in 4&5 and that peeking out shot in 3

Wallace River wrote in post #15275455
Great shots Attila. #4 really shows how he blends in with the tree.

Thanks everyone for your kind comments.

My next objective is to get some zero light shots of the bird using some timed exposures...fingers crossed.

all are amazing shots.

I like these environment photos! The fourth one is just perfect.

hogger706 wrote in post #15275715
all are amazing shots.

Flo wrote in post #15275950
I like these environment photos! The fourth one is just perfect.

Thanks to you both for your kind words, they do mean a lot to me.

I love the barred owl. I lived in a region where they mated every spring, and the noise they made sounded like a battle. First one would hoot, then the other, then the other, and you could actually hear them getting closer to one another, and at the same time their frequency of hoots accelerated until the moment they conjugated, when they would erupt into a mad raucous screaming. Then, as suddenly as it started, it stopped. The deed was done.

I recorded their mating at night, and have some very dramatic audio recordings of this. I would attach one to this post, but I don't see any attachment option. They used to do their thing right outside my bedroom window.

To tell you the truth, I was able to do a barred owl call. I may be out of practice.

Great shots. Really like number 4!

giggle wrote in post #15276080
I love the barred owl. I lived in a region where they mated every spring, and the noise they made sounded like a battle. First one would hoot, then the other, then the other, and you could actually hear them getting closer to one another, and at the same time their frequency of hoots accelerated until the moment they conjugated, when they would erupt into a mad raucous screaming. Then, as suddenly as it started, it stopped. The deed was done.

I recorded their mating at night, and have some very dramatic audio recordings of this. I would attach one to this post, but I don't see any attachment option. They used to do their thing right outside my bedroom window.

To tell you the truth, I was able to do a barred owl call. I may be out of practice.

Zethar wrote in post #15276439
Great shots. Really like number 4!

Thanks for sharing your story Giggle, sounds like they kept you up all night.

Thanks for your kind words Zethar, they are appreciated.

Great set!

Thank you very much stickerboy.

great job on the owl Attila

Great job! Really like owls and you did a good job showing them off, and where and how they live.