Thanks for this course!  We lived several years near Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park and had many chances to see Great Horned Owls.  In the summer of 2013 some chicks were trained just outside our yard.  Sometimes we would wake to find one in the eaves above our front deck.  I grew to love them!  We moved closer to Denver in 2017 and I was treated to my only Snowy Owl sighting in an irruption.  There were birders flocking from all over to see it hanging around Standley Lake just after Christmas.

eastern screech owl, north of Boston, MA, October 2021

My husband, daughter and I were camping in Sebastian, Fl. a few years ago.  As we approached our campsite after fishing... we were surprised by 2 very small owls on a branch above us.. I suspect they were screech owls, yet I never heard them ...   We are living on 2 acres in central Florida.. we do see owls very rarely. I am loving trying to figure out what kind they are. Currently, I believe we have seen a barn owl... it was massive and the mate was nearby as well. I took this course to attempt to encourage them to stay, and to identify more species as we explore in the evenings.

Owls have always eluded me. I kept hearing others talk about their sightings but I never could see one myself. This summer that finally changed when this Barred Owl took off out of some underbrush right next to my daughter (scaring her in the process with its great wingspan). All was good, though, because he posed for photos after…

We live in north Texas and have Eastern Screech Owls that nest in our yard every year. Unfortunately, the male (a red morph) disappeared this past spring- I feel certain the victim of a Great Horned Owl who hunts in our yard. This was the fourth year the pair had made our yard home. The female is a grey morph. We named the pair Chidi and Eleanor after characters in the comedy, The Good Place. After Chidi’s demise last spring, Eleanor quickly found a new mate - another grey morph who was smaller than Chidi. They had only two chicks this season. A small brood compared to some years where there were four. We keep a nest box and it makes a safe place for them to raise their young. Eleanor has a favorite holly shrub she sits in most days - including today October 30th. She’ll hang around until spring and we’ll be eagerly awaiting to see if the replacement mate comes back. The photo is of her last spring trying to tolerate my curiosity and camera. 

We had a pair of great horned owls that hooted by our bedroom window (in Amagansett, NY) at dusk and dawn for years.  In the summer of this year they were continually chased away by crows.  We haven't seen them in a while but I pray they will return.

We live in Orange Beach, AL, and our home is situated along a bay with a marshy back yard area. We have great horned owls in our cul de sac, and they often spend time in our pine treed front yard. For the last few years, they have overtaken an Osprey nest in our neighbor’s pine tree in the back marsh. It’s so exciting to see and hear them all year long, but especially in the winter and early spring when the eggs are in the nest. Once the young owls have hatched, we are glued to the binoculars as we wait to catch a peek at the little ones. The owls have become accustomed to us in our yard as we watch them sitting in our trees, and even after one had just caught a rabbit. I was fortunate one morning when one of the young owls must have ventured out and landed on our back porch near our bird bath. It stayed there until mid afternoon, and it knew I was in the house close by watching it.

Was lucky enough one year to have barred owls nesting in my neighbors' yard. The parents came over to hunt frequently, sometimes coming within 10 feet of us on our back deck. We watched the chicks grow up for 2-3 months until they flew away. Unforgettable experience. I will forever love barred owls. 

Yes, many times. But one especially memorable occasion was almost 30 years ago now, while hiking around in the winter woods, here in NH.        It was February, late in the day and just for fun, I had been following some coyote tracks in the snow. I stopped in a very dense thicket of small hemlock trees, searching for where the tracks had gone. I had been mostly looking down, but here I was looking at eye level at the thick, hemlock foliage and to my surprise suddenly came face to face with a tiny saw-whet owl sitting on a branch!  It was very close, I could have almost touched it, but it did not fly away. It just sat there, very still except for slightly turning its head and looked right at me. We must have stared at each other for about 10 min. The light was fading and temps. were dropping so I was the one who finally broke the stare and quietly backed away, leaving the adorable little owl in peace. I will never forget it!                           (Unfortunately, I have no photo other than the one in my memory!)

Respected Sir Kevin, 1.     Firstly I want to thank you for the excellent curated course on the Owls. A highly researched and easy to learn about the amazing world of Owls has left me spell bound. In my personal capacity I submit earnestly that this course has unfolded many a leaning despite the fact that I have been observing owls and tried my best to study them on my own by observation. 2.     I came across an owl while I was in one of the North East region of India KOKRAJHAR its is in ASSAM state. There locals are mainly BORO Tribe. One day while walking past I happen to see this magnificent bird Spot- bellied Eagle Owl  perched on the courtyard of a bamboo hut. The family greeted me and narrated to me how it had found this chick who was helpless after fallen on the ground in the near by jungle, it was being attacked by other large bird and hence they got it home. They feed it with live rodent, frogs, cricket and fish. ( the tribes themselves consume them) They were amazed to know when I told them it is one of the birds of prey and is on the top of food chain in this jungle. They were kind enough to follow my instruction but sad later when I told them they have to set it free in its habitat as it is not a pet. I was happy to see the bird was not captive, chained or tied but I did fear it would loose its birds instinct as it was very habituated with the Kids and the family members. Incidentally the tribe call it as good omen. 3.     The Bird (still young) has very sharp and long talons and a very unique eye as it is wearing shades. The ear tuff appears to long for the age. The wing span is quite large and is well feathered despite the bulk it appears this particular bird weighed approx 1.5-2 kg. (I had no measurement device at that moment the data is self assessment) The digits are very strong and the talons can rip any thing in the wild. The has a good curvature to tear of flesh the hind digits and talons are as strong as front which can easily carry a prey. It is a tall Owl. The Bird would stay in the shade most of the time in day, but as the evening would fall it would come out in the open and would perch on branches near by tree. 4.    All the above are my observation and may not tally with learned research works. I once again thank you for the wonderful course. Please let me know how can I ask quarries? As of now my query is, Is Buukbook and Barking owl same species? Pardon me for my ignorance. Thanking You Yours Sincerely Krish @Krishnandu

Western Maryland Swallow falls state park

We have Western Screech Owls and Great Horned Owls near me.  I have seen Great Horned Owls nests with owlets and a Great Horned Owl alone.  One night I was throwing a ball to my dog in the backyard when something swooped down and tried, I think, to attack the ball.  I was quite surprised and saw the bird fly into the lower branches of a nearby tree.  I could see the eyes of the bird from where I stood and could see it continued to watch the ball as I threw it to my dog.  We later figured out it was a Western Screech owl.  It was late at night so I didn't get a very good photo of the western screech owl, but I have several pictures of the Great Horned Owl families.

I once saw an owl at dusk near the Ottawa River when we were on a White Water Rafting trip. It was an awesome sight. Now that I have spent some time with this course, I believe it was a Barred Owl. It lives in that habitat. Some people from Puru who were on the trip, said that it was a bad omen to see an Owl. I thought it was incredibly cool.

I have seen a Great Gray Owl at Sax Zim Bog in Minnesota during the winter. A stunning site.

last year i had the great fortune of having a great horned owl in my elm tree in the backyard . Initially, I thought it was a cat. but then it moved and i knew right away it was an owl. i had lived in the city all my life for 40 plus years and i have not ever seen one owl. i would sit outside at a far distance just watching this owl. I was fascinated about learning about owls.  I have taken pictures, and recorded this owl "hooting" at dusk. Such a great gift. My neighbors who are indigenous, say that it is sometimes regarded as a death omen, but also of new change growth, and wisdom. It was actually this owl who inspired me to look at birds and learn more about birds and i became quite passionate about birdwatching. I did not see "Buddy" as I affectionately named it all that winter. Then, this year i hear a great horned owl calling again outside my window. I looked up and there was his same coloured great horned owl. Could this be the same one i saw last year? I will never know.

Hello. Thanks for the course, I have learned a lot. Yes!. I have had the opportunity to see several owls in the wild. Several that have appeared in the course, less the striped owl. I share some photos of the owls that I have seen in my country. I hope you likes it I also remember very especially my first owl, when I was barely 7 years old, my father came to the house where my grandmother lived (in a rural area of Saboyá, Boyacá, Colombia) with one of my uncles, they whispered among themselves and then they called us to see a little "snowflake" a chick of Megascops choliba, since then my love for owls. Black and White Owl Stygian Owl Striped-Owl (juv)

My wife and I have been photographing the family of Barred Owls that live in Mead Botanical Gardens since 2013. My wife did a great oil painting of the mother owl in 2014. This is the father owl, on the ground next to me, then in mid 2019. 

I saw a Great Horned Owl when I was a volunteer working at a monarch reserve.

I have loved owls for as long as I can remember. I have seen one Great Horned Owl in the wild, and some in my time as a volunteer at my local wildlife rehabilitation center in Texas. I will never forget how incredible it was to see an educational Snowy when I lived in Vermont, at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science.

Western Screech-Owls actually sparked my interest in birds! Last summer, I found an abandoned Western Screech-Owl baby on my front lawn. I took it to a local wildlife center, where they gave me a patient number for the bird, and I kept checking in on it by phone until it was released back into the wild! Another owl I've seen in person is the Great Horned Owl. A family of them had a nest in my neighborhood, and I've attached some photos of them!

I have seen a Great Horned Owl but not in the wild.  Athena lived at our Museum of Science and History along with assorted mammals and reptiles native to Texas.  She was a magnificent bird that had probably been rescued.  That was 35 years ago so I don't remember her story.  Athena did inspire me as a docent to present a "cart" talk on owls.  Too bad I didn't have this course when I was doing my research!  At least one of the docents did take Athena to the lobby where we made our presentations.  I never did.

I have seen a Snowy Owl once, and a very small Owl. I am not sure which one it was. A few years ago I was visiting friends in the country, and we sat around an outdoor firepit. Some species of Owl was quite verbal and would fly near us and land in a branch. It was too dark to determine what it was, but it would fly a little ways away and return always making this sound that actually was very scary. We eventually went inside thinking maybe it had a nest near by and we were considered intruders. Funny how sounds like that are so much more frightening in the dark.

I live in central Kansas.  For several days a couple summers ago, a barred owl visited the willow tree in my back yard.  He appeared to be picking off the cicada carcasses left behind on the bark and occasionally appeared to be eating insects off the ground.  I was able to water plants on the patio while he sat on the lawn under the tree watching me.  We had a one-way very softly spoken conversation. The tree was severely damaged in a windstorm later that summer and a significant part of it had to be cut away.  That seemed to totally spook him, and he didn't return.  So sad. I also had the good fortune to see a snowy owl on a utility wire very early one morning on my way to work.  Incredible.  I wasn't sure it was real, but I did some research and discovered there had been other sightings in the area.

I caught fleeting glimpses of owls when living in rural southwest France and savoured their magical, eery night-time calling. I'm thrilled to be learning more about them.

My first meeting and what sparked my fascination with these elusive birds happened at the age of ten. My Dad called me out to the edge of our farm home lawn. We ever so slowly and quietly peeked through the low branches of a young tree to see a sleepy Saw Whet. Magical moment. Decades later now, in the darkness of night a huge owl stood right on our front deck just 8 feet from our front door. Since I have an admiration of the Great Grey owl I hoped this would be one, even though I live on the edge of their territory. I estimated that he stood about 2 feet tall. My presence scared him off a little but I guess his curiosity caused him to stop to have a good look at me. With the dim light on our deck I could see his black eyes and realized he was a Barred owl. Amazing to be so close to such a beautiful creature. Often I hear the Barred owls and Hawk owls here. Thrilling.