Q: I would really like to see a screech owl, but I never have. What’s the best way to locate one of these owls? A: These small owls are described as “common” but are notoriously challenging to spot ...

CHAMPAIGN -- “Birds of omen, dark and foul,” wrote Sir Walter Scott about owls, once considered harbingers of doom, death, and destruction. In Medieval Europe, owls were thought to be witches and an ...

It’s difficult to ID Eastern and Western screech-owl species—location is your best bet. Hear their call and learn about their ...

The sound was unmistakable and led me outdoors to face the thick woods across the road. In the advancing twilight the sound pierced the darkness again, and then again. The ghostly mournful wail, best ...

Owls are more often heard than seen. In New York, there are eight species of these interesting raptors, with the majority most active at night. Some live here year-round, some are migratory. They ...

Hoot, hoot, hoot. Those might be some of the sounds you’ll hear on an upcoming Owl Prowl on Long Island. The owl prowls are an opportunity to learn about the nighttime creatures that live among us on ...

"I know it sounds weird but screech owls do produce a whinny-like sound," Sandage said. "I have a screech owl living in my backyard and I hear a whinny every night. At first, it freaked me out and, ...

I think naps are wasted on the young. Not that children don't need them — they definitely do — but with age, sleep becomes more precious. A good night's sleep, taken for granted when I was younger, is ...

Q. Why are they called screech owls when the only sound I’ve ever heard them make are warbling noises that remind me of musical Morse code? A. I was able to answer this question a few years ago during ...

There are sounds of nature that make me stop what I am doing and listen intently, as if drawn into a deep wildness that is both awesome and yet unnerving. No sound does this more for me than the call ...

It was a magical time in my backyard for two weeks this past summer. One August morning I walked out the back door just at dawn to meet a friend for a “beat the heat” walk, when suddenly two birds ...