Photo: Phillip R. Brown
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/

We have Barred owls on our property in Connecticut where we spend the summer. I’ve only seen them once, although I’ve heard them many times. A couple of years ago while sitting on our back patio, I happened to be looking at a huge oak tree in our yard when I noticed a Barred owl on one of the branches. It was just perched there, among the leaves, looking very majestic. I was even more excited when I glanced a little to the left and saw another Barred owl, which I assume was the mate. I took a couple of photos with my iPhone, but the owls look way too small for me to post one of those pictures. I think the photo below does the Barred owl justice.

Owls like to talk at night, and I hear ours quite often. It’s always late – midnight, one in the morning, or around then. They have eerie but beautiful eight-syllable hoots, and they often talk back and forth, sometimes interrupting one another. Owls hoot to mark their territory among other owls, which is probably what ours are doing. They also hoot to attract mates, which I don’t think is what ours are doing as they seem to be an established pair. Sometimes I don’t hear them for many nights, probably because I’m sleeping well for a change, and I get a little worried. Then I’ll be up late reading one night, and I’ll hear them start their conversation. I’ll put the book down and listen. It’s such a treat to hear them. And I always feel relieved to know they’re still around.