Anywhere in the GTA to see an Eastern Screech Owl (rufous morph)?

[Bird Brain]

Hi everyone.  Has anyone ever seen an Eastern Screech Owl (rufous morph) in the GTA?  As of New Year's Day, it is now my 29th year of birding.  omg, I'm older than dirt!    ... Anyhow, I've only ever seen the grey morph.  Would love to see a rufous morph one day!    I don't even have a camera, just binoculars. 

[Shortsighted]

I've only seen a Red-morph ESO once. I was a teenager then, so it may have been a prehistoric ancestor of the ESO, and it was ensconced within a tree cavity. I didn't know that there were two morphs at the time but it seemed ruddy, or it may have just been particularly livid because I was acting like a jerk and doing my vocal impression of a screech owl. I can be annoying like that, and in myriad other ways too, but you guys all know that.

Several times in the last few years I spotted something in a tree hole that looked like a screech owl but it turned out to be an illusion, revealed for what it was only when I got close enough to inspect. They say that any decent-sized wood lot has a screech owl and yet I've never again had an opportunity to annoy one at close range. I don't think that I can even do a screech owl anymore. I can't do Tarzan anymore either, and Janes the world over back away whenever I emerge from a clearing. I swear, I'm good for nothing.

Better people that me almost always spot one in High Park every year. Come spring, I think that I might trudge through the wood lot and inspect all the dead trees for a screech owl. I'm not optimistic though, but the neighbours need to be reminded of my quirks.

[Charline]

Not sure about the red ones. However, someone who I follow on Ins often posts them, red and grey. Not sure where she finds them, but she goes to High Park a lot.

[Bird Brain]

prehistoric

I actually burst out laughing when I read this!   

Better people that me almost always spot one in High Park every year

I was birding at High Park about 5 years ago, great location for Wood Ducks.

Thanks for your very funny, interesting and informative reply!

[Bird Brain]

Not sure about the red ones. However, someone who I follow on Ins often posts them, red and grey. Not sure where she finds them, but she goes to High Park a lot.

Cool!    .  Thank You for your reply.  When I was a kid living in Mimico, used to hop on a streetcar and visit High Park frequently.

[Shortsighted]

So, this morning it started to snow ... again. This time however it came down gently and with the indecision of state that comes with the 1 - 2 degrees registered at the thermometer. The fact that it was coming straight down without deviation from wind is what really got my attention. With the strong winds that we've recently endured and with the even stronger winds forecast in a couple of days I though I would go out for a wood lot trek. I returned to the trail entering the woods located down the street where I lost the Pileated WP, but this time I wore boots. I carefully followed the trail being as observant as I could, stopping frequently to take everything in, 360 degrees of scrutiny, searching the trees for holes in the trunk, owl droppings, pellets, sap holes, or unusual bumps sitting on top of conifer limbs near a tree's trunk. I knocked on every cavity-rich trunk. "Hello, is anyone home?". The only birds that I saw were a couple of cardinals and a few chickadees. There were lots of squirrels and they watched me, sometimes shaking their head, as if thinking 'what an idiot'. I saw no Screech owls, no owl droppings, no pellets, but lots of rectangular woodpecker holes. No encounter with a PWP, or even a Downy WP. I walked to the edge of a precipitous slope and tried to vocalize a Screech owl. A squirrel fell out of a tree. I didn't try it again because that would have been cruel. I walked home without incident.

[Bird Brain]

I walked home without incident.

So far this week have sighted a cardinal, house sparrows, juncos, robins and a squirrel.  Nothing rare or unusual.  Forecast for tomorrow night here 5-10cm of snow, windy and by end of weekend -18c/-21c.     Winter has certainly been hitting here this month.  I'm ready for Spring/Summer already!