Owls of Ohio - Ohio Department of Natural Resources

owl hears a recording of its call, it thinks a rival owl hasentered the area and comes in to investigate. If the recordingis played but briefly and is stopped after a response has beenobtained, probably no harm at all is done. However, if theowl is in an area where frequent “owl walks” are taken orfor whatever reason people are routinely playing owl tapes,problems may occur.N i g ht time Li s ten i n g finding owlsThe easiest way to seek owls is to just be outside in suitablehabitats at night. Rural locations where ambient noises arereduced are best, particularly on clear windless evenings.Owl vocalizations can carry long distances, and by quietlylistening sooner or later you will detect owls. The time ofyear makes a difference; owls tend to be early nesters andvocalizing increases in early winter and continues throughspring, although owls can and will call at any time of year.M o b b i n g finding owlsOwls are generally not well thought of by their avianbrethren, and the hapless owl that is discovered at adaytime roost is often harried mercilessly by other birds.American crows are well known for this, and when theyfind a roosting great horned owl, their loud cawing reachesa fevered, almost maniacal pitch. These calls draw in othercrows, and sometimes quite a mob forms. Great hornedowls and other large owls can occasionally be found withthe help of mobbing crows.Small owls, like the Eastern screech-owl, are sometimesmobbed by smaller songbirds like chickadees andnuthatches. As with crows, the frenzied actions of thesebirds as they swarm an owl can tip off the birder to itspresence.