creekland Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 As we were walking to our campsite down by the creek yesterday we came across a huge pile of owl pellets and some feathers. Looking up in the tree we saw a long-eared owl. It was neat! I honestly haven't seen one that close in the wild before - s/he was about 4 feet above us and just sitting there for a bit before s/he flew away. Then, right after this a pair of barn owls left the tree and started circling. They must have a nest/hole in there somewhere. So... two different owl species in the same tree and probably sharing it a bit considering the owl pellet pile. It certainly wasn't a one-night stand. How often do different species reside that close to each other? Does anyone know? We also got to see "our" resident Bald Eagles (their nest isn't on our property, but it's very close) and some Blue Herons are back. It was a really nice day... perfect temps and nice critter sightings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 Hmm... We have great horned out back and I've heard a barred owl, too. But I couldn't imagine them living that close, especially since the great horned are a pair and there's also a big red tailed hawk nest. But maybe? It's pretty wooded. I would love for some cute little screeches to move in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 Great Horned Owls are territorial within their own species but I have seen a Great Horned share a pen at the rehab center with a Barred Owl. I think it might depend on personality though. Sometimes two Barred Owls can be in the same pen together--sometimes not. Barn Owls are different though--don't know much about them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted March 11, 2013 Author Share Posted March 11, 2013 I thought the long-eared was a screech, but we studied the picture and the bird book last night - it's definitely a long-eared. The barn owls are a definite too - their white belly gives them away compared to similar species. The tree we found them in was in a hedge row - not even in our more wooded area, but probably a great place for finding field mice and voles (these appear to be the main content in the pellets). They're definitely welcome here. At night we can hear several species, so I know we have plenty around. I had no idea they would live so close together though. There are plenty of trees to choose from. Maybe the long eared was visiting, but the barn owls definitely have a hole/nest there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotSoObvious Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 Where was it warm enough to camp?! I want to go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted March 11, 2013 Author Share Posted March 11, 2013 Where was it warm enough to camp?! I want to go! :rofl: We're in South Central PA. I wish it were warm enough to camp (though we have done some cold weather camping - it's not exactly our preference)! We were just walking down to our campsite because it was a nice day in the 60s and we wanted to see how the woods had handled the winter (4 trees down). The boys had been there exploring the day before and told us about one really tall pine that fell leaving a tall root system standing up (since the tree fell, the roots were perpendicular to the ground). The campsite is along a nice sized creek (wider than some rivers) and the setting is simply awesome (I might be biased). It's peaceful & relaxing, and we enjoy watching the herons and ducks (sometime the eagles) while listening to the creek sounds. In the summer the guys love playing in the water - building dams, getting freshwater clams, and general "water" stuff. That and the pond are two things I'm really going to miss when we sell our place. We'd paid a bit of money for campsites elsewhere without nearly as nice of a setting, much less the privacy. Of course, the other places usually come with restrooms... ours is "wild," but that usually doesn't bug me. The house is between 1/4 and 1/2 mile away if I really want flush toilets (sometimes I do). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 Boy, I've never seen multiple species in such close proximity except at the zoo! But, as farms go out of business here, more and more land is going wild again. We also have lots of state land and a wild life refuge nearby so my guess is each species has plenty or territory of their own. It sounds like you had a wonderful walk! Faith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 Eastern Screech Owls are small; Great Horned Owls large. Both have ear tufts. What would you say was the height of the owl? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted March 11, 2013 Author Share Posted March 11, 2013 Boy, I've never seen multiple species in such close proximity except at the zoo! But, as farms go out of business here, more and more land is going wild again. We also have lots of state land and a wild life refuge nearby so my guess is each species has plenty or territory of their own. It sounds like you had a wonderful walk! Faith It was a great walk. We also saw red-tailed hawks, but since they eat our chickens I won't admit to liking them as a species anymore. Then we get sharp shin hawks and coopers hawks, but they leave the chickens alone (didn't see either of these latter two yesterday - red tails are all over). Eastern Screech Owls are small; Great Horned Owls large. Both have ear tufts. What would you say was the height of the owl? It really was a long eared owl. They have their own species. Here's a link: http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/long_eared_owl.htm Google provides other pics. I might be able to get one my son took if he can put it on our computer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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