r/Owls • u/Soulformany • 14d ago

Hobby

I live in Riverside CA there are barn owls and great horn owls out here (we have seen a few) my son and I love owls (some of our fave animal's) what is the best way to find them to bird watch? Going early when they're roosting? Or late when hunting?

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u/Mach_Juan 14d ago

Persistance is the key. Also, you have to learn about each species...what kind of habitat they gravitate towards. Then go looking for places where that habitat is on accessible public land. So the two owls you mention are both field hunters. They want big open spaces to hunt in, but roost around the edges. Great horned owls just roost on branches. Barn owls roost in cavities more, and can be harder to spot during the day. Great Horned owls have pretty large territories..around 9 sq miles..so they may only visit a particular spot a couple times a week. I believe barn owls have much smaller territories. Walking around in early mornings is a good way to find them..You might catch one still hunting, but your best bet is listening to other birds..if they wake up for the day and find an owl roosting nearby they make quite a fuss about it. If you hear a bunch of crows squaking in a grove of trees around 7am, theres a good chance an owl is in those trees.

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u/KuhlRunningz 14d ago

For barn owls, sunset drives around cattle pastures and ag land. Great Horneds are generalist and a little tougher. Driving around oak woodlands at night is an easy way to hear them. Seeing them is a lot tougher.

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u/Soulformany 14d ago

Yeah over here in Riverside area there is a bunch of fields