1. Find a barn...or similar structure that has owl-sized entrances. (Ask permission before birding on private property.)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgREk6FaNEZHvRV1B7I1KRAxU7EFPC3F0nXzyF-wfwlhbQcOARLpdeu4OYZtKm0JObMme4INJreuCWIGISea_OqHOy0PflJUoYCsWiorK2fvKBL33aaM74_0J0ecaRTsdRECfTuD19kPe9-/s640/Barn+Owl+Barn.JPG) |
Steve Hofhine checking out a Say's Phoebe outside of the picture. Convenient owl entrances in this barn. |
2. Look for owl pellets on the ground.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifY3HHE3pgH2RjVTTqTYC53NNnADnysFBQc6XcE4LcZJ14bWo39uAqzF5iFfzZYqrYYhk3brTaMS-flyr3PMRa_ugptpDXyC1N3CfpdekxMt-Mtbu9c1SH2cwcjZNeloTLS-9bKFuqg2SX/s640/Barn+Owl+Pellets.JPG) |
A sure sign of active Barn Owls |
3. Look up into the rafters.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO9O9zjCxsSrgUVxwnRJdoOo5Bg2aTiz8sbvCuG7hvF7vkiqd8UtSIvE7-Wn3uBgeLSQOnKOyWVM3ww0yeNK2D6_vf4y3il6gojyjMKOM-Tx_45G1DatY4PaGYQ3-ioIpmHCGe3NVVAiqz/s640/Barn+Owl+3.JPG) |
Do you see it? |
4. Zoom in for a better look.
(Digiscoped with Swarovski ATX spotting scope and handheld iPhone 4s)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpcAmwryAcjcCxljskrO30YVdU7Y_tCwodeAI3bYn-Y66PkG8VqEKypuHzQqvGag0VYyfyoH_tXbbofF-BooW5JfuwkbqG3krgVzzFmAKVxZXT-hM4mwsBYyxKz0aM-MD1dPtOJetSwMgL/s640/Barn+Owl.JPG) |
"I'll partially open one eye to acknowledge your presence. Check out my killer talons which are used to dispatch rodents all around this farm." |
AWESOME!
Awesome indeed!
ReplyDeleteNow I need to go make friends with some farmers. :)
Wow- What a score! They are very scarce in Connecticut but I imagine the more barns around the better chance of Barn Owls.
ReplyDeleteI love it when you find a species doing just exactly what you'd expect.
ReplyDeleteOh you make it sound so very easy...
ReplyDeleteI'd have better luck building my own barn and stocking it with mice I think.
cool owl
ReplyDeleteThanks all. Laurence, this post was a little tongue-in-cheek as seeing Barn Owls is often not as easy as one would hope. I have actually been checking this very barn for seven years and this is the first year I have seen Barn Owls or pellets there. In Utah, on Antelope Island, I found Barn Owls in trees, and Great Horned Owls in barns. According to eBird, Maine and Alaska are the only Barn Owl-less states. Even Hawaii has them.
ReplyDeleteIndeedy, the only wild Barn Owl I've seen in the last 3 years was dead. So, if you got Great-horned in a barn, can you at least count it as a hybrid?????
DeleteFabulous Owls! My friend had one roost in her eaves on year. A treasure to see.
ReplyDeleteAwesome indeed! I wonder if they always sleep with their talons curled like that! Good Job Robert!
ReplyDeleteHmmm.... I can think of a few abandoned barns on fieldwork routes that definitely need to be checked for barn owls... A few years ago we found a snake skeleton in one, but a barn owl would be much cooler!
ReplyDeleteFantastic! Barn Owls are so very beautiful.
ReplyDelete