I am fortunate in that I have known about a winter roost of Long-eared Owls for many years. The owls come to roost reliably each autumn and disperse each spring. Only I know the exact location of the roost and have kept it to myself to try and give the owls as much peace as possible. Since it's off the beaten path I have never seen any other people pass by it. I keep my visits to the roost infrequent often going weeks between visits and when I visit keep my distance. Long-eared Owls are very sensitive to human intrusion and get very upset at intruders near their roost. I have gotten very close to them from time to time, but those were times when they had been flushed out of their roost by Cooper's Hawks, Blue Jays or Crows. That annoying part of life is something they seem to accept as part of the bargain and always return to their roost when the commotion dies down. They are not like some Barred Owls that have lived nearby who can sleep in a tree with someone using a chainsaw below them and not even waken.
Right on schedule the owls returned to their roost late this past autumn. I got a couple of distance photos of them but mostly watched them sleep the day away through my binoculars. Unfortunately, a couple of different cats started to frequent the area chasing birds and rabbits. The cats also started climbing the trees of the owl roost. I hoped the cats would move on, but they haven't. I fear the owls have abandoned their years-old roost now for the season. Coyotes normally show up every winter and keep the cats at bay. I haven't seen or heard the coyotes, nor have I seen their tracks in the recent snow. These are not cuddly well-groomed house cats, they are tough looking older toms. Bummer.
