Outdoor Ontario

Birding Reports => Southern Ontario Reports => Topic started by: RKD on March 01, 2009, 10:25:05 PM

Title: OWLS OWLS OWLS
Post by: RKD on March 01, 2009, 10:25:05 PM

HELP!!!
After seeing so many great pictures of owls on this forum I have become obsessed with wanting to see my own owl in the wild maybe even two or three. I live on the edge of hundreds of acres of mixed woodland and look for signs of them but find nothing. What am I missing?
Is it easy to spot them without binoculars? Should I be looking only in evergreens, and if so what are the best ones?
Any ideas are welcome!!

Title:
Post by: Kin Lau on March 01, 2009, 10:57:39 PM

Great horned owls are the easiest to find. With the tree branches bare, you can sometimes spot that one "bump" near a tree trunk.

The two easiest locations for GHO's are Thickson's Woods and Tommy Thompson Park aka Leslie Spit (long walk tho).

Title:
Post by: Axeman on March 03, 2009, 10:52:18 AM

I've only seen one species of owl in my life...Great Gray....it was in Manitoba..and they are really easy to spot there..very tame bird...I've heard of Owl Spotting adventures in my area...and have no idea how they do it...I just never seem to be able to sign up for one of these excursions...oh sorry I did see a Barn Owl at a "resort" on Manitoulin Island once...it was in the restaurant...stuffed.

Title: When do the snowy owls head north?
Post by: Howieh on March 05, 2009, 09:31:07 PM

I still haven't seen a snowy owl after my second birding winter. Since the temperatures will be above freezing for a few days will they start heading north?; if not how late in the season can we expect (hope?) to see them in this area?

Title:
Post by: RKD on March 24, 2009, 06:47:23 PM

Ok I saw my first owl today and it was a snowy when I least expected it. 6:45 this morning at the ramp going from 401 to 427 southbound. It all happened in a flash as I  saw what I thought initially to be a hawk divebomb some unsuspecting prey and in a flick I realized it was a snowy. Not a good spot to stop, lol, so all I saw was a fleating moment of a snowy owl, but its my first