I have always loved owls. Owls are my favorite Bird of Prey. One day I hope to be an ambassador for Birds of Prey. In 5th grade we had to do a science project where we had to dissect their feces to see what they had eaten. Mine was a mouse. After cleaning the droppings, we got to glue the bones to a piece of paper. It was the coolest science experiment I have ever done. To this day if I am in the woods, I search for droppings hoping to one day be able to do my own experiment. Besides the owls in the photos from the Renaissance Festival in Hammond, LA, I see them every so often where I live. In fact, about 2 years ago my friend, myself, and her dog were sitting outside one night when an owl actually flew down right in front of us trying to pick her dog up. Fortunately, the owl landed next to the dog missing it's target.

Si soy Uruguayo y en persona y libres conozco a tres tipos; Athene cunicularia, Bubo virginianus y Megascop choliba. 

A pair of barred owls has been nesting in a hollow oak tree just about 15 feet behind my back yard deck. This is the fifth year, and I'm observing them now. They've had from two to four chicks each year; this is one of the chicks from the first year we saw them, 2017. The pair comes back to the hollow in January and stays until Easter, by which time the chicks have all branched in our trees and then flown off into the forest behind my fence. I have photos, a security camera, and a lot of short iPhone videos of them, including videos of the chicks climbing trees after they have fallen or coasted to the ground. They feel like family to me.

I've moved from the city to the country side. Last two years I had this little fellow as a neighbour, by the sound and the sightings I can imagine it was living really close to my house, about 100 meters or so. One evening I actually saw it matting. This year I am sighting and listening it less regularly around the house. Maybe they moved further "down the road". There is a nearby footpath with a mini oak and cork tree forest and in the evening you can listen and understand that there are many tiny owls more around.

We hear Barred Owls near our home in rural Maine throughout the year, but are still hoping to catch a look at them.

I've mostly heard owls hooting rather than seeing them, but once saw the pale underbelly of what I believe was a Barn Owl, based on its size and silent flight across a grassy field one night. I'll bet the owl was hunting as I've seen other birds, like kestrels, hunt in that field during the daytime. Other than that, I consider myself fortunate to have volunteered at a raptor rehabilitation center where they had non-releasable education raptors (including several species of owls). I've had the opportunity to hold them "on the glove" and so have seen quite a few species up close, including the Great Horned Owl, Barn Owl, Burrowing Owl, and Northern Saw-Whet Owl. It was especially amazing to feel the weight of the Great Horned Owl as volunteers often sat with our gloved hand resting upon our knee in order to not feel fatigued by his weight. Some of us experienced a bit of his grip strength too, as I was told by a more experienced volunteer, that the owl would tighten his grip on your fingers when he wanted to return to his aviary. It would be very interesting if this was, indeed, an intent to communicate with human handlers.

I've been lucky to see several species in my life. My favorite experiences are: When about 11 or 12 we discovered a hole in an apple tree on my Aunt's farm. We peered inside and there was a screech owl peering back at us. Living in the Midwest my whole life I never observed a barn owl. Until a few years ago while driving back from Volcanoes National Park on Rt200 on the big island Hawaii. There in the headlights we observed a barn owl. Of all places, that was the last place I expected that. Finally, while hunting ducks hunkered down amongst tall grass along a stream near the end of the day, several short eared owls appeared. They would dive and swoop, sometimes getting quite close if I happened to move my head or hands. Really wished I brought my camera. I've also observed Great Horned, Barred and Burrowing owls.

Great horned owls are the owl we see most commonly in Indiana.  A couple of years ago one would sit in the large silver maple in our front yard.  Early one morning he was sitting on the ground.  When I got my camera to take his picture I realized our black cat was sitting a few feet away.  I'm not sure who was more scared of the other.  The owl flew off.  Later there was a commotion in our swamp.  Various birds and especially our resident Cooper's hawk were mobbing the owl who was sitting on a downed tree.  He did not have a good day!

I have seen a great horned owl on a nest near Prime Hook Delaware. I knew the nest was there and stopped by repeatedly with a spotting scope. Have seen Spotted owls at dusk along a marshy area. What beautiful flyers they were. A snowy owl was camped out at beach near my home in Delaware. I got a really good look at it once. I saw a really big grey owl just at dark. It was in flight and shot by about 15 feet off the ground. I don’t know what it was but it was magnificent I hear screech owls and “hoot” owls regularly, have never seen them. That is my total lifetime owl experience and I am 72.

Had this beauty all winter.

I've seen, and heard a Great Horned Owl many times over the years in both flight and perched in our 450-year-old oak tree for one, and hear a pair hooting back and forth from my bed in the early morning hours.  I live in the woods, 100 yards from a large pond in the Litchfield Hills of CT. I am also about five miles from the Sharon Audubon where they have several resident owls in their aviary.  I love to go and watch them.

I've seen barred owls in Ohio and long eared owls in Indiana. Owls

There's a Great Horned Owl that sleeps in a neighbors palm tree most days of the week. Sometimes we will hear them hooting at night when they take off to hunt. I love sitting in my kitchen, sipping coffee and looking at the beautiful owl! (New Mexico)

I DIDN'T KNOW MOST OF THE PICTURES BUT I LOVED LEARNING ABOUT THEM

Yes, we've visited the Raptor's Trust in NJ several times and have seen owls that can't be released because of a permanent injury.  Once we went to the trust and there was a visiting horned owl on a tree outside the horned owl enclosure, We went on a moonlight walk with the NJ Conservation Foundation and the naturalist was able to find a small owl, maybe a saw whet or screetch owl in a tree nearby.

I forgot to mention a Great Gray Owl which was a rare visitor to Jefferson County in Northern New York several years ago. I will never forget the thrill of seeing that Owl!

I have seen a Great Horned Owl in Syracuse, a Snowy Owl this winter near Onondaga Lake in Syracuse, a Barred Owl several times while camping in Ontario, Canada ( one time with chicks in a nesting hole high up a dead tree) and an Eastern Screech Owl several times as they nest very close to our house which borders a heavily wooded city park in Syracuse.

Great horned ans have heard a screech owl but have never seen one

Juvenile Eastern Screech-Owl, Central Wisconsin, Summer 2021.

I live in Wisconsin. During the winter 03-04 irruption of Great Grays and Snowys, I took a couple of days off and drove up to Superior, WI where there had been numerous GGO sightings. I spent many hours of driving around the area, both shoreline and back roads. Turned onto a deserted back road south of town when up ahead I could see a large object sitting on a powerline. No doubt a Great Gray Owl! I watched at a distance from my car so as not to spook it and was simply amazed at the sheer bulk of this owl. Beautiful bird! Once I stepped out of my vehicle to attempt some photos but since I was in the wide open of the deserted road, he flew back into the trees. Did not get much in the way of decent photos but the experience alone made the trip worth it!

We have a good size barred owl population around our home in Central Maine and we have heard them and seen them for years. Last late summer some were screeching outside in the evening and we went out to see two 1/2 grown chicks making all kinds of noise over our compost pile. We could hear an adult at a distance and they were communicating. I have also seen saw whet and Great horned owls near here. Last summer I heard a Great Horned owl at my son's home in Mid-coast Maine and later that week we found a feather of that owl in the vegetable garden. On a trip to Patagonia years ago I saw a Rufous Legged Owl.

Burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia), which we call Lechucita de Campo, are fairly common in Uruguay and we often see them in fields or even on sand dunes or abandoned structures by the sea.

This is a Ñacurutú (Bubo virginianus, Great Horned Owl) which we saw in Tacuarembó department, Uruguay. It was perched on the edge of a eucaliptus grove, close to a highway. In the afternoon heat the owl barely moved and was difficult to see.

When I lived in Northern New Jersey, USA, I'd walk paths along the Saddle River and a few times at dusk encountered Great Horned Owls perched about 15'+ above the path in trees.  Once I heard two owls calling to one another from either sides of the river.  And once I had a "conversation" with a Great Horned--I'd make owl-like calls and it would look down at me and stare!  Wonderful encounters.