I’m fascinated by the migration of the Saw Whet Owl and how it was studied.

The facial disc for sound detection was definitely the most interesting fact.

The most memorable factoid I learned is how some owl species dine on some pretty scary prey: hedgehogs, skunks, scorpions. Ewwwwwwww, especially the scorpions!

Seeing the way the facial disc can be adjusted to further focus their hearing was the most interesting.  I knew about the offset ears, but did not realize how important the facial disc was.

I hope to hear the local owls again soon!  It has been very windy.

I learned about the barred owl duet, and will be listening for this in the months ahead. I also learned how to use Merlin and eBird to more efficiently find locations near my home where owls have been sighted. I thought that section would be review for me, but it was very helpful. When I completed the last section on owls in art, I recalled my recent stay in Dijon, where I followed the Dijon Owl Trail to find my way around the city.

The linked article about owl color and stunning prey while hunting was super fascinating. I also liked learning about their hearing.

I found the range of sounds that owls make fascinating.

The most memorable piece of info for me was learning about the importance of the facial disc to detect sound waves for the owl’s hearing, which aids the owl in locating prey at night when there is poor visibility or even under snow. Before this course, I had simply thought about the facial disc as part of the owl aesthetic or as a distinct field mark.

Something I forgot to say before I really thought it was fascinating that the owls ears are offset allowing them to determine if a sound is above or below them.

I was amazed by how many different sounds different owls make. As a person who enjoys art and history I was amazed by just how far back the depiction of owls in art went.

Actually, it was an article you referred to about the lighter breasted Barn Owls stunning voles for longer than the reddish or darker hued birds I found most astonishing. Barn Owls have always been my favourite but I never knew that. Just like a deer in the headlights for those little rodents, a natural phenomenon within nature just as surely as our artificial -and accidental- cause on the roads. It is so amazing to see how these evolutionary adaptions have developed.

I also learned that I may well have been hearing Boreal Owls in my neighbourhood. Hopefully, I will get the chance to see one here in Canada, since their range covers so much of this country.

Thank you for compiling the helpful information in this course. I would highly recommend to others. It was fun and informed and if you somehow didn't love owls before, you most definitely should now.

Owls are the masters of sound. From face to feathers owls are designed to be stealth-like at the hunt. They use the perch and pounce hunting strategy, remaining still and quiet while listening for prey that cannot hear the owl close by. //Body designs include: Facial discs that can be adjusted by muscles under the feathers to listen for prey. //Sounds from moving prey are bounced to the ear opening. Ears are asymmetrical allowing the owl to process information locate its prey sight unseen. //Wings are broad to produce a quiet lift through Low Wing Loading, allowing the bird to fly slower, which is quieter. //The owl feathers are designed to reduce turbulence. The feathers absorb sound through fluffy feathers and with comb-like serrated structures, air travels smoothly over the wings. //Using these bodily designs, owls can hunt at night with extreme precision and deftness.

There was so much I enjoyed, its hard to decide! My favorites would have to be how they can use their face plates to direct sound, and how their feather structure on their wings is different than other hunting birds like hawks and eagles. I also just loved to learn the different calls and species, this course was so fun!

One piece of information is on finding owls. I remember attending a nature walk where the naturalist used sounds to call in an owl or at least get one or two to" answer back". I have heard of people using food as well. I am glad the course addressed this. This is a great introduction to Owls as well as for someone like myself who wants to learn more about this amazing bird. I volunteered at a Raptor Education and Re-hab center here in Colorado. I attended classes and qualified for a state license to work with the birds but the courses didn't provide more infomation as contained in this serries.

So much fascinating information it’s hard to choose just one! I loved hearing the different sounds owls make. Learning about the various types of owls around the world was cool, too. I also enjoyed seeing the depictions of owls throughout history. We are in a long line of people who have admired owls.

17 neck vertebrae ... very cool.  Did not realize that my "talking" back to my friends the Great Horned Owls is not a good idea!! They seem to like my conversation! (At least, that's my interpretation...my husband thinks I'm just a little off!) And the course was very interesting. The "night sounds" segment (owl or not owl) was particularly fun for me, as I hear a lot of those sounds often, and wondered what the heck the "not an owl" sounds were!

The diversity of owls and their adaptations (both shared like facial discs/silent flight and differing like talon size/sounds) were the most memorable. Many of the included links were also very interesting. I’m excited to get outside and listen more closely on early and late hikes for some of the owls covered!

I was surprised at how different the various owl sounds are across species.  Most birds sound like a bird, but the owls sound nothing like their owl cousins.

I learned about the many different types of owls as well as their behaviours.  I really enjoyed the tips on how to find owls.   I was thrilled to see a barred owl last week during a walk in the woods.  A few days later, my son spotted what he thought was a barn owl while waiting for a train at night.

This course has increased my appreciation for these beautiful birds.

Learning and listening repeatedly to owl sounds. This will identify the owls that live in my vicinity.

I've learned so many interesting things about owls through this course.  One of them was that some owls hunt by sight and others by sound.  Picking mice out of the snow 18 inches down?!  That's amazing to me.

Hard to pick just one. The amazing diversity and worldwide presence of owls perhaps. I loved the section on owls in art.  My image is a contemporary representation of a barn owl my daughter gave me. Some of my interest in this topic was fueled by reading The Owl Who Liked Sitting on Caesar: Living With a Tawny Owl by Martin Windrow. As I was finishing the book I encountered a tawny owl & the largest European owl  outside a Scottish National Trust shop in Edinburgh, both rescued and unable to return to the wild but trained to help educate the public to the need for environmental care. I’m currently reading Carl Safina’s book Alfie and Me about a rescued Eastern Screech Owl and a history of Euro~American ideas about humans’ relationship to  the natural world. This has just been an amazing course!

owl feather structure and purpose

facial disc use to adjust listening distance

hunting method through snow grabbing blind

how to find them

Definitely the different owl sounds!