when to see barn owls

[kiwi]

Hi all

We have a barn owl around our house and my dad has spotted it at dusk. The problem is hes only seen it in the car and im not allowed out when its dark for obvious reasons so Ive heard they hunt in the morning and i was wondering how early i would have to get out to see these tomorrow im going out at 6:00 because the neighbor i spoke to about these says you can see them later than 5:00 am. Do any of you think this will be sufficient? Also where shall i watch?
and my window looks out onto a field like area with thick grass do you think i could get some sightings from my window?


Thankyou

Jordan

[leifus]

Hi Jordan,

There is a barn owl nest in the field opposite our house and we often see the parents flying around hunting, teaching the young owls etc. We see them most in the summer and not so much in the winter but if I were you, look out of your window over the field either at 6am(ish) or at dusk and you will be likely to see it unless it hunts further afield. Also, it has two main calls, one of which is a very distinctive call - a loud screech that gives the owl its other name, the screech owl.
Of course, it may be too dark for you to see the owls at these times (unless you are VERY lucky and have night vision goggles or something of the like ) so your best bet is to look in the summer. We have seen them around at all times of the day but they are most common at around 8/9pm.

I hope this helps! and good luck. They really are beautiful birds (my 3rd favourites )

Leif

PS you could also try sitting in the field by a hedge in dark coloured clothes (this would probably be in the summer) and I have found that the owl doesn't notice you until the last minute, so you get absolutely AMAZING views

[kiwi]

Thank you i will go out in the morning and see what i get.
Is there favorite hunting areas farmland? And do they perch on posts as there's a few in the fields?

[thunder]

Originally Posted by kiwi

Thank you i will go out in the morning and see what i get.
Is there favorite hunting areas farmland? And do they perch on posts as there's a few in the fields?

They like to hunt in rough grass - and yes, they certainly do perch on posts at times.

henrya

[dan-fisher]

Dusk till dusk at this time of year imo as they've only got their own mouths to feed. In spring they can be out day and night as food will be quite high the old list with greedy youngsters.

Posts are i find the best place to see them especially at the road side in open areas, other than when hunting in the fields they appear to have their favourites perches. I know where 3 live around the vale of belvoir and they really do not mind my car being close to them.. and they take a massive interest in you making 'kissing' type noises. The interest dosen't last too long and they appear to get bored of you being there and casually take off.

One of my favourite birds.

[kiwi]

I saw one twice this morning when walking along a rocky pathway through the hills and fields.
It was absolutely beautiful the first time i had been out for around 20 minutes and i walked near the top of the lane to a view point over the sloping hillside and the bottom road with a wooded verge and i saw a ghostly figure swoop across the field with its white wings flapping now and then. It glided to land in a tree its hard to explain this as it almost looked translucent and i think it stopped there for moment to scan the ground then i went down towards the tree as i wasn't sure where it went and i wanted to get a closer look ( im not sure if this would disturb it). I saw it glide of again down to the bottom of the lane near a farmhouse with geese and another field of thick grass ,rabbits and high wooden posts then i lost it. i spent some time wandering the lane in search of other wildlife and the owl as it was so elusive i couldn't find it and as i got to the bottom of the lane i could see above the hedgerow the owl slowly swooping down to the grass to kill its prey with its wings spread out and its feet outright and facing diagonally towards the ground i could see a hint of brown on the owl as it was less dark i didn't see it again after that because it was probably done for the day but it was amazing i hope to go out tomorrow earlier and see if i can see the majestic creature again. Sorry about the lack of punctuation there.
just a quick question though , will i disturb the owl and cause it to leave the area by going out to see it ? Or will it just ignore me and carry on with its activities? I'm so glad i can see these they are such amazing creatures , iv'e seen them and stroked them at fairs when they bring birds of prey round at shows but its different when you see them in the wild.