Neil writes:
Like the Red Tailed Hawk featured in the last post, the Barred Owl is a raptor. This particular specimen lurks in our back yard, keeping an eye out for the small varmints that routinely filch food from the feeders. Barred Owls dive on their prey from a perch.1
The “barring” on the chest is the origin of the Barred Owl’s name. This owl is also known as the “eight hooter” for its call which sounds like, “Who cooks for you, who cooks for you-all.” After a few beers I can do a pretty good imitation of the barred owl call.
Neil Ellis Photos: Neil is great friend who plays a respectable round of golf, identifies unseen birds by their calls, completes the New York Times Friday Crossword in ink, and snaps a heck of a photo. His photos are featured here at AllanShowalter.com and can be found collected at Neil Ellis Photos.
Note: Originally posted Mar 5, 2008 at 1HeckOfAGuy.com, a predecessor of AllanShowalter.com
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- According to The Owl Pages, the owls prefer “meadow voles, followed by shrews and deer mice, the owls also feast on mammals such as rats, squirrels, rabbits, bats, moles, opossums, mink, and weasels. Birds are taken occasionally, including woodpeckers, grouse, quail, jays, blackbirds, and pigeons. They also eat small fish, turtles, frogs, snakes, lizards, crayfish, scorpions, beetles, crickets, and grasshoppers. Birds are taken as they settle into nocturnal roosts, because they cannot catch birds on the wing. They will also swoop down to the water’s edge to catch frogs, other amphibians, and occasionally fish. Barred Owls are attracted to campfires and lights where they forage for large insects. Prey is usually devoured on the spot. Larger prey is carried to a feeding perch and torn apart before eating.” [↩]