What A Hoot!

I like barred owls. They are one of the more common owls in our area along with great horned owls and screech owls. Barred owls are just beautiful with their dark eyes and barred chest that provide the perfect camouflage among the trees. Their frayed feathers allow them to move unheard. Their call is fun to make too: "Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all?" That is how hubby and I find each other in stores. We whistle "Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all?" I am pretty good at making the hooting noise. 


We had the pleasure of seeing a barred owl hanging out in our trees about a month ago. We were just getting ready to leave for the morning and I heard the call. It was sitting in one of the shagbark hickory trees in our front yard. Pumpkin and I looked at it for a bit, then it flew into the neighbor's sweet gum tree. They are so beautiful when in flight.

Owls are just fascinating. Their eyes are stuck in place, so they cannot move them from side to side like we can. But they can turn their heads up to 270 degrees. If our eyes were as large as an owls, our eyes would be the size of grapefruit. Wow! Like other birds, they have hollow bones. They lay their eggs during the winter, typically February and March. The owlets hatch about 4 weeks later. Other owls that can occasionally be found in our area include: snowy owl, long eared owl, short eared owl, barn owl, and saw whet owl.

Well I guess I need to make sure that my little owlets get off to bed.  Have a great week!