I heard the owl call my name

[ChrisLynnet]

I couldn't resist the subject title, although the meaning is a little morbid. But I heard an owl last night in my backyard and I thought it was so cool. I knew they were up here but had never heard one. I still haven't seen one up here.

What kind of owls reside here? And are they year-round? I don't know anything about them.

One time my husband and I were driving at night down a dark and spooky country road. It was near Halloween and we'd managed to scare ourselves silly with scary stories when a huge white shape dove at the car! AARGH!!!

It turned out to be a big white owl. The owl was fine and flew away. We were not so fine and stopped telling each other scary stories until we got the hotel!

[ChrisLynnet]

Replying to myself... I wonder if this is anything like talking to oneself and then ANSWERING. Uh oh.

Anyway, could the owl I heard be a California spotted owl? They seem to be common in the California mountains.

http://www.fws.gov/sacramento/images/CaliforniaSpottedOwl-USFS.jpg

[Leftfield]

Criminy, Chris.   The National Forest is in our backyard.   You need to Get OUT more.   

[gypsywolf]

It was probably a Great-Horned Owl. If I am not mistaking, they are probably the most common.

The white owl you saw was probably a Barn Owl unless you were up north.

[ChrisLynnet]

Criminy, Chris.   The National Forest is in our backyard.   You need to Get OUT more.   

LOL! No kidding. I walk my dog every day but we have kept to the town, and it's only recently that I've been taking him on hikes. Did you know that this town has a mess of trails all around it? 

And gypsywolf, thanks for the identification. I also think the owl that dive bombed us was a Barn Owl, but had no clue about the one in my backyard. Maybe I'll visually spot him one of these days.

[gypsywolf]

When I lived in Oak Hills, I had a pair of Great-Horneds in my yard quite frequently. They would sit a good distance apart and hoot back and forth. I loved sitting outside and watching their silhouettes at dusk and listening to their hooting.

I love it when wildlife lets you share in their daily lives.   

[Calindy]

I too bet it was a great horned owl! Almost every night, I have 2 GHO that "visit" me. We "who,who" back and forth, and then they are off to find dinner (that part I want NO part of!!) Have you ever watched an owl when they are "who, who...ing?" They lean forward and puff up their feathers, it is very cool!
I had not been out there for 3 or 4 nights, and my husband looked out, and one of the owls was standing on our steel bldg looking at us thru our back patio doors!! I am being stalked by  an owl, LOL!!! Here is a recent photo of one of them:

[ChrisLynnet]

Oh, how cool is that!? Thanks for the picture. I'm frankly jealous of you (Calindy) and gypsywolf being able to see your owls and even take pictures of them.

I imagine that the dearth of wildlife around my home has to do with my loud 2-year-old dog. I love him, but... *sigh*

Oh well. At least I heard one!

[RennMan]

Restarting an older thread..

About 10 PM last night, we heard the coyotes in the canyon.  THEN we heard two different Owls!

11 years here in town, and I've never heard owl calls so distinctly.  It was a very cool experience! MakGirl got up to listen more closely, but didn't see them, so couldn't identify them.  One sounded like a Great Horned Owl call, the other one perhaps a California Spotted Owl.  Here is a link to pages which have Owl calls:

Great Horned Owl
http://www.owlpages.com/owls.php?genus=Bubo&species=virginianus

California Spotted Owl
http://www.owlpages.com/owls.php?genus=Strix&species=occidentalis

[Stitches]

Rennman, my daughter came to me late one night and said there was an owl outside her window.  I went in her room and all was quiet.  I left and a minute later she came in and said he's hooting again.  I went in.  Nothing.  Three time  this happened.   I have a vision of the owl up in the tree snickering at his practical joke.  I'll have to take her word for it that there was indeed an owl.  I've been here 19 years and never heard one.

[ForestGal]

I often hear owls on summer nights when I have the back door and several windows open.  Makes me kinda nervous when I go out with my little black dog, although she weighs about 13.5 lbs and I don't know if an owl could pick up that much weight. 

[Nolena]

Yes, an owl could pick up an animal of that size.
I heard a great horned owl at Guffy while camping a couple of weeks ago.
Who do you think it was?

[ForestGal]

I heard that at Guffy also.  I thought it was YOU, doing your owl imitation, Nolena!   

[superMom]

RennMan have heard a pair of owls on and off all summer - lived here so long and maybe this is the second or third time I have ever heard owls.  I have asked our resident owl expert (son-lol) which one it might be - and he said the same thing - probably horned owl, although we do have California spotted owls in our mountain ranges, their hoot is a little different.  It was so cool the last time I heard them I stayed up way into the night listening.  Oh...and ForestGal - my son said owls will go for much smaller animals of opportunity - so your little cutie is pretty safe! 

[Tall Trees]

We have several different species of Owls here in Wrightwood.  Great Horned owls are found here in the village as well as the Southern California Spotted owl.  Both of these species have been photo documented at Wrightwood's guzzler in the past.  During the mating season male owls become very territorial and often become very vocal when looking for a mate and protecting there home range.  The great Horned Owls mate earlier than other Owls and usually the young owlets hatch in February before other birds start nesting.  Other Owls that can be heard at night in Wrightwood include the Screech Owl, Saw whet owl, Barn Owl and Poor-wills.

[sharyn]

Interesting.  We have lots of owls here in the Phelan Flats & I would expect there to be more in Wrightwood but since few of you hear them very often I must be wrong.  I had a nest in my tree last year but the poor baby died.   I'm hoping they will come back & be more successful this year.