Burrowing Owl - Picture taken near Mackle Park in Marco Island, Florida.

A Barred Owl - picture taken at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois.

I saw what I'm almost certain was a great honed owl because it was huge.  I think I've seen a barred owl but I'm not completely sure.  I've heard them a lot.  I know I've  heard a great horned owl a heard several barred owls.

I'm adding some information to my 5/14 post that describes my experience with owls on my 12 acre property.  An experience I had with two owlets is highlighted and a photo included - below.

I live in Western New York in the rural area just outside a small town, Arcade.

I have not seen many owls, but I have had many great experiences with 3 species living and nesting on my 12 acres of mixed mature forest.  (Barred, Screech and one Great Horned owl)

(My husband and I drove a short distance from our home to see a Snowy owl in a field.  Many photos taken!  It was a wonderful experience.)

When my husband and I began homesteading on this piece of land, there were no ponds.  For several years we enoyed listening to  the screech owls.  My husband mounted a nest box.  It was used by a screech owl pairs - two years in a row.  What a treat to see the nestlings peeking out of the entrance hole.

Then, we dug a pond.  Barred owls moved into the area, I think because of the nearby water source.  Our beloved screech owls vacated for good.  For 3 decades we've been treated to Barred owl lives with many sightings.  We love to hear their calls, so varied and often spooky sounding.   One night I searched for a branching owlet and finally spotted the little fluff ball - on a branch.

My best experience happened the summer of 2020.  The Barred owl pair had twins.  Those owlets began to observe me on my daily and nightly walk-arounds.  They showed no fear, just curiosity.  And they afforded me many photo opportunities.  (I also took photos of the adults,  always near their offspring and on guard.)  One evening I heard the two siblings just outside my nature study window and decided to see what they were up to.  Thankfully, I took my camera.  Of all the photos of this owl family that summer, the one inserted is my favorite.

I've seen Barred Owls and Eastern Screech-Owls. I've heard Great Horned Owls hooting softly in the night, but I'm not sure I've ever seen one. I vaguely remember seeing an American Barn Owl, but I can no longer remember whether it was in the wild or in a bird sanctuary. What I do remember is being struck by the faint iridescence of its plumage. I thought it was far prettier than photos can depict.

Among the rarer owls I've seen is a Northern Saw-whet Owl. I never would have found it myself; I was shown it by an expert birder. I've also seen a Snowy Owl or two during irruption years, but they were always so distant from available vantage points that the views were sufficient only for adding the species to my life list, not for seeing the birds in any detail.

I hear a Great Horned Owl on my evening walks very often and have seen it a handful of times.  Amazing how silent they are when flying!

We have a Great Horned Owl that visits our Willow tree for periods of time. We have nights where he will hoot for several minutes. I have also had an owl fly overhead in early evening when I was outside with our small cat. I wonder if a Great Horned Owl would attack my cat? I live in Fort Collins, Colorado.

I’ve seen wild Barred Owls multiple times and in sanctuaries I’ve see a Great Horned Owl, Snowy Owls, and Eastern Screech Owls

I live in Germany and have seen a Eurasian Eagle Owl twice and several Tawny Owls.

I have seen barn owls in old no longer used wooden barns near the Oregon -California border.    There are barred owls living in the woods near our house.  I hear them call in January through March each year.  And on a trip to Costa Rica,early in January 2026, I saw a Pacific screech owl.  It was magnificent.

Seen 7 species (Barred, Great Horned, Barn, Western Screech, Burrowing, Long-eared, Short-eared) and heard Northern Saw-whet. Sadly I have seen unethical behaviours from others when I have seen a few of these birds. Barn Owl pellet- One of several seen in Southern California Dec 1, 2023

Snowy owl that visited Chattanooga, TN in 2021! It was quite the celebrity and for a short period of time was in a residential neighborhood. Highlight moment for me.

I have seen a Great Horned Owl and a Western Screech Owl that came into my back yard with the porch light on.

When I was a kid roaming the woods in Massachusetts, I stepped into some leaves and a huge owl flew up in front of me. In the Pacific Northwest, I've photographed short eared owls, watched a great horned owl nest, seen snowy owls twice (one sitting on top of the civic auditorium at the high school where I taught), and been observed carefully by barred owls. I watched a barred owl in the Maine woods two years ago, and it was certainly not afraid of me! Burrowing owls are fun to watch in eastern WA.

I have a Great Horned Owl who lives in the woods behind my home in SE Wisconsin.  I hear them hooting almost every night.

I recently got to see a snowy owl that visited the lakefront in Chicago. I have also seen a northern pygmy-owl in the forest in Oregon.

I have enjoyed many species of owls. Some include Barred Owls, Barn Owls, Great Horned Owls, Burrowing Owls, Northern and Ferruginous Pygmy-Owls, Short-eared Owls, and a recent Eastern Screech-owl. I love owls and get very happy when I see them.

Yes, I have primarily seen Great horned owls, and the app Merlin helped me determine that the owls that I hear hooting near my property in Oregon are likely these owls.  I also helped take a small screech owl to our local rehabilitation center many years ago.  Once it was recovered, I had the opportunity to be present at its release, this made quite an impression on me.  Also this last spring I saw for the first time burrowing owls near Malheur wildlife refuge in Eastern Oregon when on a birding trip.

We have two great horned owls visit our neighborhood from time to time.  Some nights you can hear them calling back and forth. (Channahon, Illinois).

I have enjoyed a number of encounters with Barred Owls which is so much fun because they don't fly away but stare back as interested in me as I am with them!

But I have had a pair of juvenile Great Horned owls begging almost all night long for 4 months now.  They must be eating to survive this long but are still begging, or calling mommy home. Interesting that they haven't left. It's getting cold and I haven't heard 1 of them for almost a week now.

I'm wondering if they can or will hunt in daylight?

I live in an area classified as a red maple swamp which they like.

I looked at live cameras

Saw a Snowy Owl on a cold winter New Years Eve night. Beautiful bird flying through foggy, snowy nights get. It was so magestic.

our local wildlife group has a great horned owl we have seen up close. once we saw a great gray owl, which was really special. we have heard great horned, barred owls, and the elf owl in saguaro lands.