Barred Owl or Hoot Owl

These incredible photos were taken yesterday by my friend Claude – again his talent is quite awesome. He can make a drop on a petal of a begonia look like jewels! (posted on previous blog) and quite honestly that is what he does – he creates jewels of nature.

Owls represent 8% of the bird population in Georgia according to Georgia Wildlife. My neighbors and I are blessed to have owls in our backyards. They can be such serene creatures. However, when they make their presence known they are quite loud, thus their common name hoot owl. When they are mating, they hoot and fight; I have gone into my backyard at 1 or 2 am and find my neighbors out also looking to find the culprit.

The hoot does not have yellow eyes like other owls. He weighs a pound and is 2 ft tall with a wingspan of 60 inches – 5 ft! and you cannot hear them flying by you. According to : Ann’s Aviary the reason one can never hear them passing by is that “their feathers are “fluffy” on the edges, a feature which baffles the sound of their wings.” (thank you Ann’s Aviary)