Who? Who? Who? Who?

[PeppermintPatty]

This is a barred owl. It was directly in front of our house so I took some pictures of it. It didn’t seem to care that we were there. I think it was looking for food.

Here is a bit of information about it for anyone who is interested.



That’s a Barred Owl (Strix varia) — and a really beautiful, classic adult.

Here’s how we can tell:
• Round head with no ear tufts
• Large dark eyes (not yellow like Great Horned Owls)
• Distinct vertical brown streaks on the belly
• Horizontal barring on the chest and wings
• Mottled brown-and-white overall pattern
• Long, heavily barred tail

They’re very common in forested parts of Nova Scotia, especially near wetlands, mixed woods, and rural properties — and they often perch on wires and low branches like this one.
If you ever hear one at night, their call sounds like:

“Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all?”

 

[CallMeKate]

Whoa, that's amazing, Patty! I've never seen one... looks like a woman with a head scarf and shawl to me. Beautiful!

 

[Jules]

You’re lucky to see it so close.

 

[Rossana]

Beautiful! Thank you so much for sharing the pictures as well as the information on them. I really like the owls.
We have a few Great Horned Owls in our community. We can hear and see them very early morning.

 

[Naturally]

What a hoot !!!

 

[CaliS]

very very cool !!!

 

[PeppermintPatty]

Whoa, that's amazing, Patty! I've never seen one... looks like a woman with a head scarf and shawl to me. Beautiful!

It DOES look like an owl woman with a knitted shawl tucked under her chin. Lol
Thanks

 

[Medusa]

Wow! So special to see. I love owls.

 

[Flarbalard]

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology used to have a very short radio spot and they would describe an owl's hoot as "who, who, who cooks for you".

 

[PeppermintPatty]

You’re lucky to see it so close.

We were lucky to get that close. We’d just come down our driveway and saw it fly up and perch on the electrical wire. We couldn’t get the pictures we wanted from in the car so got out, thinking it would fly away but it didn’t.
I think it was as curious of us as we were about it.

 

[C50]

Barred owls make several different and interesting sounds, they are in the woods around my house and it always makes me smile when I hear them yaking it up.

 

[debodun]

Owls are cool. I found an owl feather in a cemetery years ago.

 

[Imogene]

@PeppermintPatty what gorgeous photos you were privileged to be able to capture!!!

I have hoot owls. Let me just say the scariest moment I ever heard was one night I came out of the barn at mating season and two owls were screeching back-and-forth at one another. They couldn’t have been more than 100 feet away from me on the other side of the road.

Even though I was fully aware of what was going on, that noise still raised the hair on my neck & arms lol lol

 

[RambleTamble]

I lived in Florida in the late '70s and I remember owls perched on mailboxes around the neighborhood. They looked like that one in the OP from what I remember. Strange looking animals.

 

[jujube]

We have barred owls who live in the woods behind our house and "talk" to each other every night. Sometimes, they are in the oaks in our front yard, talking to the ones in the back. One night, there was one in our front yard and one in a tree across the street. Quite a conversation going on.

I love, love, love the sound. I'll lie in bed at night, listening to them, thinking that it just HAS to be good luck to be hearing them......as long as you don't hear one call your name. Then, you're in serious trouble; you're going to die soon.

 

[WheatenLover]

We had great horned owls in PA. They can cart away a 16 lb. animal for dinner. When we first got Aidan, he weighed 7.5 lbs, and at night I could hear those owls when I walked him, so I waved my arms around so I'd look big and owl would stay away.

All the farmers figured their missing cats went to feed the owls. Don't think about it. It's terribly sad.

 

[Bretrick]

This is a barred owl. It was directly in front of our house so I took some pictures of it. It didn’t seem to care that we were there. I think it was looking for food.
View attachment 478065View attachment 478066View attachment 478067
Here is a bit of information about it for anyone who is interested.



That’s a Barred Owl (Strix varia) — and a really beautiful, classic adult.

Here’s how we can tell:
• Round head with no ear tufts
• Large dark eyes (not yellow like Great Horned Owls)
• Distinct vertical brown streaks on the belly
• Horizontal barring on the chest and wings
• Mottled brown-and-white overall pattern
• Long, heavily barred tail

They’re very common in forested parts of Nova Scotia, especially near wetlands, mixed woods, and rural properties — and they often perch on wires and low branches like this one.
If you ever hear one at night, their call sounds like:

“Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all?”

Great close-up pictures.
You will treasure those shots forever.

 

[PeppermintPatty]

@PeppermintPatty what gorgeous photos you were privileged to be able to capture!!!

I have hoot owls. Let me just say the scariest moment I ever heard was one night I came out of the barn at mating season and two owls were screeching back-and-forth at one another. They couldn’t have been more than 100 feet away from me on the other side of the road.

Even though I was fully aware of what was going on, that noise still raised the hair on my neck & arms lol lol

Excuse my ignorance but what are hoot owls?
Are they great white horn owls and I’m guessing that they were mating. lol. I’ve learned that it can be a loud ritual. What a special ritual to have witnessed.

 

[Imogene]

Excuse my ignorance but what are hoot owls?
Are they great white horn owls and I’m guessing that they were mating. lol. I’ve learned that it can be a loud ritual. What a special ritual to have witnessed.

Yes. Hootowl is the nickname for the great horned owl.

I hear them all the time. But it was dark when I walked out of the barn that night. They were so close, I probably could’ve easily seen them, had it been daylight. I liked to jump out of my skin when I heard them start their mating rcalls lol lol

 

[PeppermintPatty]

Yes. Hootowl is the nickname for the great horned owl.

I hear them all the time. But it was dark when I walked out of the barn that night. They were so close, I probably could’ve easily seen them, had it been daylight. I liked to jump out of my skin when I heard them start their mating rcalls lol lol

I think I’d like to witness that myself no matter how aggressive it may become. Have you seen any babies or were their nests to high or obscure to find? I think baby owls would be ohhhhh so cute .

 

[againstthegrain]

Great Horned Owl, year round residents, last heard Saturday morning.

 

[C50]

This is a barn owl the landed on my bedroom window one night. The noise woke me and I shined a flashlight on the window and there it was, I grabbed my phone and snapped a picture. No idea why it would land there, very small sill on the outside so it had to sink it's claws into my window screen to hold on.

 

[IrishEyes]

Owls are so mysterious looking, what terrific photos!
They have that stare like cats give.

 

[Imogene]

I think I’d like to witness that myself no matter how aggressive it may become. Have you seen any babies or were their nests to high or obscure to find? I think baby owls would be ohhhhh so cute .

No, I have not seen babies. I am pretty sure their nest is directly across the road in the big cow pasture. The section across the road from me is full of old old trees.

 

[Imogene]

This is a barn owl the landed on my bedroom window one night. The noise woke me and I shined a flashlight on the window and there it was, I grabbed my phone and snapped a picture. No idea why it would land there, very small sill on the outside so it had to sink its claws into my window screen to hold on.
View attachment 478256

And the owl sez:

”Let me in wheee who! Wheee wheee Whooo!”