Barred Owl (Strix varia) - Information, Pictures, Sounds - The Owl Pages I really love the “series call” of the barred owl. Barred owl is definitely the species I see and hear the most of.
I love the sound of a great horned owl, espedially when I hear it early in the morning when I go out to get the newspaper and it is still dark and quiet.
Haven't heard any Barred Owls this year yet but there's been a bunch of Great Horned Owls calling at night, dusk to about midnight.
Having a sheep farm I am always on the lookout for raptures, and yesterday in the swirling snow I saw one flying about and perching on my fence posts. As I got closer I saw it was an owl (not sure what kind), but it was out looking for food in the middle of the day. That is not very common. I assumed it was the cold that brought them out too.
Interesting. I think I might have captured one on my new trail cam. 3AM picture of something climbing up the bird feeder post. I thought it was a small rat.
Only one I ever saw I hit one night with my truck. It was a rainy night and I saw something sailing across the highway. It hit my windshield and the next morning I saw it was jammed under the cab visor. I was amazed how far those things glide. If I wasn't there it would have made all 4 lanes and the median...
I was at my cousins house and the cat brought in a dead looking flying Squirrel and dropped it on the floor. Well, thing took of running with two 12 year olds and a cat chasing it around the house with my aunt screaming. We caught it, eventually, and kept it as a pet for a few weeks and then let it go.
Just a general appeal to everybody. Please do not feed or tame those little flying squirrels. They tame very easily and then think of people as their friends and food source. Unfortunately most people aren't very nice to little animals and people's food sources aren't good for them. I don't mean not helping them out in the worst of winter or if they are hurt just make sure to wean them off in Spring. Keep in mind they are wild animals not entertainment toys. I understand how tempting it is but please, please think of them. Alright i'm off the soapbox.
We have screech owls and great horned owls on our hill. Love the songs. Was fortunate enough to see a flying squirrel two falls ago. Wasn't certain what it was until it scrambled up the side of the house, jumped off into a glide, then banged a hard left mid-flight, disappearing round the back of the house. Man it was cool!
They eat nuts, seeds, fruit and insect, in sommer also tree buds and flowers. Make sure the fruit or nuts are raw no salt. If you have your own dried fruit they like that too, the dried fruit from stores has preservatives on them. They also drink from hanging bird bath. They are a protected species.
Not all flying squirrels are endangered. Only certain sub-species in certain areas where habitat change no longer supports their unique niche in the population.
I used to listen to their high pitch whistles at night. The people who had lived in our old house in town fed everything under the sun in the back yard. The result was a major rat infestation. We weaned the birds and squirrels off slowly so they quit depending on being fed. People feed these critters and then move away and leave them to fend for themselves. They don't always manage.
We have barred owls that come around our VT house. Fascinating creatures. The "Who cooks for you!" call is really unique. We spot them occasionally; most recently during the day just before Christmas. Nature can be really cool at times.
