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DPChallenge Forums >> Photography Discussion >> Finding Owls
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03/23/2008 09:48:40 PM · #1
Ok does anyone have any tips for finding any species of owls. I can't seem to find any owls anywhere.Is there any attractants,food,or certain places to find them?
03/23/2008 09:59:46 PM · #2
I'm no expert but I have seen and shot owls before. You have to be out at dusk or night. Barn Owls are normally easy to find by waiting outside an old barn on farmland and waiting until dusk as they come out to hunt. If you know any local farmers you can ask to go in their barns and look for them roosting during the day, normally up in the rafters. Gong to Wifldlife Reserves and aking if any nesting owls are around is another sourse. Checking with your local Audubon group can be helpful also. Finally, sitting out along the margins of a field and listening early int he evening and you might track them down by sound.

In all it is not easy. My sitings have all involved people from Audubon who either know where they nest or go out on night outings looking for them.
04/13/2008 04:19:22 PM · #3
Owls will tend to stay in a particular area and have a favourite perch that they come back to. The best resource I have found is to do an internet search for birding groups in your area. Many of them have a "sightings" bulleton board that they post to. It is a great resource because you can find out exactly where and when other birders have seen different species, then go there yourself at the same time of day and you will start to find some success.

Unfortunately the hard part of all wildlife shooting is getting close enough to make it worthwhile. I find that shooting from the open window of my car works well, because most wildlife are used to vehicles and do not see them as a threat. I have also just purchased a small camo blind to shoot from, but have not used it yet.
04/17/2008 10:21:38 PM · #4
Originally posted by basssman7:

Owls will tend to stay in a particular area and have a favourite perch that they come back to. The best resource I have found is to do an internet search for birding groups in your area. Many of them have a "sightings" bulleton board that they post to. It is a great resource because you can find out exactly where and when other birders have seen different species, then go there yourself at the same time of day and you will start to find some success.

Unfortunately the hard part of all wildlife shooting is getting close enough to make it worthwhile. I find that shooting from the open window of my car works well, because most wildlife are used to vehicles and do not see them as a threat. I have also just purchased a small camo blind to shoot from, but have not used it yet.


Thanks for the in depth answer,I appreciate everything.I have to go check out your pics.A tip you might can use is get a pair of camo pants and cut the leg out of them,put your camera and lense in the pants leg that you cut out and use a black bungie cord to secure the pants leg around your lense. Also I use camo netting gloves,numerous deer calls and turkey calls.And I also take a lot of pics from my Expedition.
04/17/2008 10:56:57 PM · #5
When we used to camp in the Everglades, we were able to "hoot" them up at night around the camp. Spring time is best for that. Sometimes we would have as many as 6 or 8 around the camp at one time. My brother Oscar was better at it than I am. He had one dive on his hat one night.
I don't know how the bird people feel about "hooting" them up though, as I seem to remember hearing that it disturbs their natural territorial system.
It's difficult to get good shots of them at night.
Another good location to look is at a lake or boat ramp with a street light, where they hang out for the bugs that come to the light, and for the bats that come to get the bugs. This would be a night time thing, when the area is normally quiet.
They are creatures of habit, and dusk is the best time to spot them. They use the same perch daily, and tend to stay in one home area, as B man said.
Happy hunting,


04/17/2008 11:52:27 PM · #6
Also check out the floor of barns and abandoned buildings for pellets. These are regurgitated bits of undigestables such as bones and feathers, about 2 inches long, and a sure sign of owls' roosting spot.

[thumb]670550[/thumb]
04/18/2008 12:05:31 AM · #7
Originally posted by BeeCee:

Also check out the floor of barns and abandoned buildings for pellets. These are regurgitated bits of undigestables such as bones and feathers, about 2 inches long, and a sure sign of owls' roosting spot.

[thumb]670550[/thumb]


Usually surrounded by a white "splat" : P
04/18/2008 12:08:37 AM · #8
Originally posted by MelonMusketeer:


Usually surrounded by a white "splat" : P


lol, well, mixed in with the splats, yup. But these aren't "crap" they're "puke" :)

Message edited by author 2008-04-18 00:09:07.
04/18/2008 12:21:05 AM · #9
We have owls around our property all the time. We hear them almost every night. We hardly ever see them though. We do see eagles and hawks quite often. However, seeing them and getting a good photo of them is two entirely different things. We have lots of hummingbirds too, and they're easy to photograph. I won't even try to photograph an owl.

You’re welcome to wait outside our house with your camera. Maybe you’ll get lucky. :)

If you really need to photograph an owl, then a zoo is probably your best bet.


Message edited by author 2008-04-18 00:23:02.
04/18/2008 12:22:22 AM · #10
If you see something that looks like this, then you have found the nest.


04/18/2008 12:35:09 AM · #11
What a coincidence! I was literally going to start this thread about two weeks ago and never did. Thanks for the advice people. I've only ever seen an owl in the wild twice. I do hear one now and then in the middle of the night because I like to sleep with the window open. I've always wanted to get up to try to find it, but my bed is always too snuggly.
04/18/2008 01:04:20 AM · #12

Marsh Owl in South Africa at Sunset
please becareful of your flash when shooting night birds as it can dazzle them and cause them to fly into things.
04/18/2008 01:17:13 AM · #13
Originally posted by KSHOLLYWOOD:

Ok does anyone have any tips for finding any species of owls. I can't seem to find any owls anywhere.Is there any attractants,food,or certain places to find them?


They are hard to find, but I know one place in CO that has them. You just wait until night fall and they swoop all around you. It makes them difficult to shoot however because in the day they hang out in cliffs that they perfectly blend into. So even if you spot them it makes for poor photos.
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