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Although I have some owl pictures from a Birds of Prey Demonstration, such as my avatar, I would love to get some shots in the wild. I have seen many pictures on this site of owls and am curious how to go about finding them in the wild. I am always looking for signs of life in the hollowed out holes in the trees, but as of yet I haven't had any luck. Is there a trick or any tips for finding owls in the daylight, or is it simply a matter of being there at dawn or dusk and hope for sufficient lighting? Any advice would be helpful, thanks in advance.

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My unorganized pictures can be viewed at

http://picasaweb.google.com/lonestranger102

I've only seen barred owls so far and I've just lucked up on all of them.  Matter of fact I saw one late this after noon while walking in a wooded area.  The other three I have seen have all been during the middle of the day not early or late.  I'm sure there's some skill to it though.

Thanks ally. I'm glad to hear that stumbling across them in mid day is a possiblity. I often go and just sit in the woods and wait for my subjects to come and pose for me. If I knew more about what signs of owls to look for, I'd have a better idea of where to sit and wait. I know where to wait for the turkeys, they're easy to "track', Now if only owls walked past my door like the turkeys do, I wouldn't have to ask for owl tracking tips...LOL

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My unorganized pictures can be viewed at

http://picasaweb.google.com/lonestranger102

Another good tip is to get some kind of audio recording device (DVR  - like on Ghost Hunters!)  and record a call and play it back in the area where there may be owls. Many owls will answer to calls.  Barred and screech owls usually do anyway.  Follow the little hooters and they will tell you where they are!  Hopefully you won't find another person with the same device doing the same thing.  Last Saturday we were in a park in Seattle and we kept hearing the barred owl calling over and over - both of us were looking with binoculars but we never did find it / them.  This owl was just hooting away  - we didn't need to call it.  Good luck and let us know if you find any.

I have always found my best bet is to ASK!  So, when I see other photographers, I ask them what they have seen and where. If you are in a park, do the same with the park rangers. It's a great way to learn and share, and most are happy to share with you.  As far as owls go, once you do know where one has been sighted, keep going back to the same area, (the ones here in Florida at least) are definately creatures of habit. Good luck! 

Great suggestion, Seattle. Kind of feel stupid for not thinking of that myself since I did the exact same thing with some turkey calls. I downloaded turkey calls to my walkman phone and played them back out in the field hoping to lure the turkeys in a little closer. I haven't had any luck getting closer to the turkeys yet but maybe my luck will be better with the owls.

Perhaps someone could help out with another owl issue. I have gone through the species pages in an attemp to distinguish between the nocturnal(night) and diurinal(day) owls. I can't seem to find clarification of which owls are which. I know the Snowy and Northern Hawk Owls are two of the diurinal owls in Ontario, but they are too far north by now for me to hope to see them. Are there other diurinal owls in southern Ontario or are they all nocturnal?  

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My unorganized pictures can be viewed at

http://picasaweb.google.com/lonestranger102

I'll tell you how I found the three owls I spotted recently:

• Keep your eyes open for dead trees or large snags near tall grass = where squirrels, voles, and mice are in large numbers
• Look up into the canopy for owl outlines and silhouettes = while they're resting, perching or at daytime roosts
• When you can see tree canopy from road take the opportunity as a passenger to survey = nests, birds on-the-wing
• Look in large old growth trees w/open cavities or broken branch holes 15-25 feet above = for fledglings peaking out of nest cavities
• Look for white poop and droppings below trees = seeing it on roads is easy, but on foliage is more difficult, look for waste
• Stay at least 30 ft from nest using binoculars being relatively quiet until you are certain you need to take a photo or approach.

 

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"Watch the birdie."
Latest: Sage Thrasher, Ferruginous Hawk (Dark Morph).

Although it seems like it, Owls just don't disappear during the day. They're there. They're just super still and super quiet. Look around. Large masses in trees are suspicious. I was walking down by my local river and I saw a big mass far away and I shrugged it off. It was by where I was walking to. So I got to my destination and looked up and....

By the way, is this a Great Horned?

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Lifer Count: 113
Favorite Lifers: Resplendent Quetzal, Keel Billed Toucan, Blue Crowned Motmot, Crimson Fronted Parakeet, Osprey
Recent Lifers: Cooper's Hawk, Brown Headed Cowbird, Killdeer

I do online searches for reported sightings through WFO (Western Field Ornithologists), colleges,university studies, and fish and game. I've found a Great Gray Owl 45-minutes away w/GPS location. Too easy. I'll be responsible and not tromp through the woods making noise and scaring them. Personally I don't use recordings. I think your owl is a Great Horned like mine. See the facial disc, eye slope, ear tuft, and bill? But mine are fledglings. Two photos taken on the same day.

My photo taken May 16 at Eshom Valley of two Great Horned Owl fledglings in Live Oak 

Photo taken May 16 at Dry Creek of Western Screen Owl courtesy of Carl Davies

 

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"Watch the birdie."
Latest: Sage Thrasher, Ferruginous Hawk (Dark Morph).

Mercey Hot Springs CA, ah but you have to pay to see them

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"Watch the birdie."
Latest: Sage Thrasher, Ferruginous Hawk (Dark Morph).

You've gotten some good advice here (although in most of the areas I bird, the playing of call recordings is prohibited so be sure of your area first). Asking knowledgeable locals is very helpful. I seem to be good at flushing them and just seeing them fly away silently. :(

I got these two yesterday---right over the trail but we had not seen them from behind on the way uptrail because of branches and their natural camouflage.

 

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8 days camping in Western Colorado and 5 new birds: Juniper Titmouse, Mountain Bluebird, Black-billed Magpie, Clark's Nutcracker, Gray Jay. Beautiful!!!

Terrific pic jm! Love the expression on the one on the left!

jmmoon:

I seem to be good at flushing them and just seeing them fly away silently. :(

I flushed this one.  Fortunately for me, he decided to land on a branch nearby and give me a piece of his mind.  He stared at me and hooted really loudly.  Not the typical Barred Owl call, either.  It was just one long HOOOOOT!  It was actually kind of intimidating!  Luckily, I had the presence of mind to get a few shots off before he left.

I don't know if I can offer much advice, other than to go where they're known to be found, and go often.  The way I found my two owls is that they decided to yell at me as I walked by their tree

jmmoon how'd you do that? That darn owl is winking at you!

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"Watch the birdie."
Latest: Sage Thrasher, Ferruginous Hawk (Dark Morph).

Actually it was more like raising one eyebrow is on a person's face---sort of a "Who dares to set foot near me???" look. More than a little intimidating---they both had their eyes closed and as i got closer, he slowly opened the one and glared at me. So I took my pix and got the heck away from them...

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8 days camping in Western Colorado and 5 new birds: Juniper Titmouse, Mountain Bluebird, Black-billed Magpie, Clark's Nutcracker, Gray Jay. Beautiful!!!