I’ve been lucky to see Great Horned, Barred, Northern Saw Whet, Snowy, and Short Eared owls in Nova Scotia…always a thrill to see one. Barred are the most common here by far.

We had a successful mating pair of Great Horned owls on our neighbor's property outside Durango, Colorado.  They have been nesting there for the past three years.  It has been fun to watch them grow and mature.  We had several sightings of the juvenal's during the summer months.  The past couple of weeks, we are hearing the owls calling to each other in the early morning and evenings.  I love having these special birds nesting and living right here near our house.

We had the privilege of seeing these two Great Horned owls in Golden Gate Park, in San Francisco in the summer of 2021. We saw them several times in the same area, a mother and juvenile. We have returned to the spot more recently, but have not seen more. Also, one evening at dusk we heard Great Horned owls in a wooded area in the Presidio of San Francisco. There was a dialogue going on between two owls in different trees.        

In the wild, I've seen (and heard!) various Eurasian Scops Owl this summer in southern Italy; an Barn Owl flying over my car in Scotland, nearby Loch Ness; and just last night I've (mostly) heard and (barely) seen a couple of Tawny Owls in the woods in northern Italy, where a veterinary working from a local birding group released a Little Owl back to the wild. The latter experience is what prompted me to join this course.

I had a majestic experience with a great grey owl in April 2022, British Columbia, Canada. My friend and I found one at the edge of the forest. The bird flew in close and landed not 10 metres from us on a fence post, surveying the grass, then diving to catch a rodent. It obligingly posed on the post with the rodent in its beak, then soared silently right over my head; I could feel a breeze from its wings. It flew away deep into the forest, probably bringing that rodent to its nest. Magical! My friend got spectacular pictures.

Burrowing Owls - Nesting at the school I work at. There is a pair of burrowing owls which have raised young year after year. (The children at school named them Odysseus and Athena.) Great Horned Owl - I've encountered Great Horned Owls in Arizona and in the North East. One perched on the light post outside my bedroom window, calling to a fellow owl at some distance. It's also possible that I have heard some barn owls in a few rural environments, but did not see them. (This also discounts owls seen at zoos or bird shows)

We moved to a wooded wetland area in Michigan 9yrs ago and had owls as neighbors. I started learning more and made a Barred owl box. After 3 years, finally have renters! Learned how to watch nests through Cornell Lab and have been logging my visits. I’m excited to say I’ve seen a baby barred owl!

Recently found a pair of northern pygmy-owls that I've been hearing around work for a while now. Near Rocky Mountain NP, Colorado. Here's my best photo of the female with a vole for lunch.

  I found today two species of owls in the same park on Bucaramanga, Colombia. Black and whites on top image, spectacled on bottom image. They are not the same picture!  

I absolutely love owls! The most recent sighting I’ve had is of the burrowing owl.

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These nesting Great Horned Owls are just outside my office now.

Saw this barred owl on a neighbor's feeder near Raleigh, NC in Jan 2021. Interesting that the other birds didn't seem fazed by it - it's like they knew it wasn't hunting them, but mice or chipmunks attracted to the seed on the ground. We hear great horned owls and screech owls in the area on a regular basis, but we rarely catch a glimpse of them except sometimes in flight at dusk. The great horned look like flying shoeboxes! :)

Lived in the Northwest Territories for many years where we were lucky enough to see the Great Grey Owl.  Recently living on Vancouver Island we hear frequently the Barred Owl...which we have also seen, as well as the Great Horned Owl.

Snowy Owl by Deadhorse, AK on a birding trip with a guide. We also had screech owls right in the city of Houston

snowy and barred owl

I've seen Great Horned owls (in one memorable instance, an adult with an immature), Eastern Screech-owl (kindly came to my NJ backyard!), and Burrowing owls (the last was while visiting another state).  Always a treat to see an owl!

I have heard so many time the Great Horned Owl in the trees next to my house but I haven't been lucky yet, haven't seen a single one... I brought my little brother and grandparents outside at night to hear them. They are incredible. On vacation not so long ago in Costa Rica, we saw near a river a crested owl and later a juvenile spectacled owl! I was so thrilled and it meant so much to me!! Here are the photos I was able to take. I still can't believe I saw them!

I have heard a Barred Owl in my backyard for a few years. I normally hear its signature call before I go to bed or early in the morning. A month or so ago I saw it up close on my backyard fence! It was beautiful and large. Owls are so cool!

Wanted to see owls all my life, finally got my wish. Saw two barred owls in the past month, on two separate occasions, right next to busy walking paths in the city.

I had wanted to see an owl for years, and finally saw two barred owls within the same year, out in Central Massachusetts where my sister lives. The first one was in the backyard, it was lightly snowing, and I just by chance saw it flying by a window, then it settled on the top of a post-like tree, right in the middle of the yard, so I was able to watch it for a while. I think seeing that one helped me then spot the second one, later that same year, because the shape was more familiar - I was driving up the road near the house, and saw another barred owl sitting on the utility wires. That day it was also overcast, and lightly raining. I went home, got my sister, then we drove back out together and parked, and I took this photo. 

I certainly hear them fairly frequently where I live, but seldom see them. There is a state park near me where a little screech owl often hides in a hole high in a tree and if you really focus, you can just barely make him out. The camouflage is amazing!

Yes, I have seen barred owls flying in New Hampshire. I have also seen a Great Horned owl because I was sitting with some friends on the top of a hill that must have been close to a nest because he/she was not happy and making it clear.  I would not have been able to identify the owl from seeing it at night flying but I did identify the characteristic hoot.

Here is my most recent Owl sighting.. Great-horned Owl Sun City West, Desert Springs Golf Course Wednesday. January 4, 2023

No. I really really really want to see one!!!!