I have been hearing the Barred owl call for a couple of days; first, when a murder of crows hounded the owl. The owl roosted in the oaks near the patio and while I couldn’t see it, I could definitely hear it. It made the standard “who cooks for you?” call. I’ve since heard it several times now.
Crows engage in behavior known as mobbing; it’s when a group of crows (often a closely related clan or family) harass another bird, typically a bird of prey. Crows seem to be hard-wired to loathe owls of any stripe. Jays (also members of the corvidae family) will also react with instant hostility towards an owl. Mobbing crows generally don’t get too close to their Owl target, but they are raucous and agile as they move around and call. I long ago learned to listen to what crows were saying about their neighborhood, because they’re gossips and often, the owl early-warning system.
Yesterday I was talking with my brother and sister-in-law (serious birders) about hearing the owl and the crows, when we heard first Crows and then Blue Jays start up. My sister-in-law spotted the owl, just watching, in a nearby oak. A lot like the Barred owl just watching crows in this University of Puget Sound video.
I saw the Barred owl, quite clearly, and my brother managed to take some pictures. He says it’s probably a female Barred owl, given her large size.
Female Barred Owl; Photo Credit: Scott Spangenberg
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