Don't you love that sound? We have had some in our neighbor's back yard (Huge cottonwood trees) and at night they come over and perch in the tree just outside my window. I have learned to recognize the different sounds they make and can tell if it is the male or female who is hooting. I hope they stay a long, long time.Bettye/AZ

That's great! I think it's fascinating that owls have different calls/hoots, though why, I don't know, since it's not fascinating that other birds all have different noises & songs. LOL.

That's funny; we've been hearing them this winter for the first time!! Last year we actually saw one sitting atop a pine tree, but he never made a hoot. This winter, they've been quite noisey and actually frighten our doggie; she won't go outside when they're "hooting".

The Great Horned is my favorite owl. They are huge, with a wing span of over six feet. The first time I ever saw one was one summer evening outside the horse barn. He flew right over my head, and he was so big I could easily see him until he went over the mountain tops which, at the time, seemed to be at least a mile away.

As far as I know, the largest great horned owl had a wing span not quite 6 feet, somewhere in the 5 feet 8 inch range.

Most, however, are between 3 and 4 feet as adults, with the females being a bit larger than the males.

I stood outside for awhile last night hoping to hear him again, but no luck.

You're right. I just checked my field guide.

Ha! We just heard one last night as we were turning off the lights and while we do hear them for months at a time, it had been at least 3 months since we remembered having one so close.
We have the screechers pretty often too.

We have them nesting on our place. One of them makes this sound...hoot, hoot, hoot,...hoot, hoot! The other one goes hoot, hoot...hoot hooo. When they are on the nest tho, or the babies have hatched, they are quiet. Once the baby leaves the nest, you can hear it shrieking for the parents to bring food. The ones here always seem to raise just one baby. I am sure they start out with two, but I just see one baby every year.

How nice for you!

We've had owls where we are now and where we last lived. We found a dead Great Horned owl on our property and he was so beautiful that we took him to the taxidermy shop and had him 'stuffed' to donate to the local public school (it is illegal to keep them for yourself). Taxidermist said he had choked to death most likely. The shop paid half and we paid the other half. Last I heard, he was still on display at the school (since 1992).

With all the snow you've had, the thoughts of owls might be food!

Once in a while we hear an owl. As I understand it, they need quite a large hunting territory to survive. Maybe that's why Marilyn's owls have only one offspring.

Monday our entire yard was filled with birds -- some of them robins, but also what I think were grackles. (They were dark and bigger than starlings, but there were hordes of them.) I think they may all have come north to get away from the unseasonable storms to the south. There's really not much to eat up here yet.

We do have robins year-round, many in the creekbed that's about 20 feet below the bridge and street. (I'm 30 miles north of Chicago.)

I have one on my clock tht plays a different bird song on the hour
Haven't had many birds this winter once in while a flock of big blxck ones come in with their CAW CAW
I hAven't seen Any Cardinals this yeAr

There's a pair of owls who live down the road, and just visit us a couple times a week. I sleep with the window open and frequently hear them hooting back and forth. But I've never seen them, and don't know what type they are. There's a big river birch near the house, and one of them sits in there while the other one is farther out in the field.

Had an owl outside my condo, last spring.
Such a pleasant sound! Don't know what kind of owl it was.
Lucky you!

I've been playing owls on you tube tonight just to tick off the mouse in my house. It's probably only annoying the dogs.

Cool sounds. As far as I know, I've never heard one.

Well, no dice again last night. I wonder if he/she was just passing through?

I hope not.