The Night I Went Looking for Hooters

Barred Owl (Duris)

I know what you're thinking after reading that title.  That Brandon Brywczynski is all class.  I can't help it.  I blame my father for my inability to resist cracking such a tasteless joke.  My dad and I are very different in a lot of ways, but we do share a unique sense of humor.

Things have been slowing down quite a bit lately with regard to the birds.  How slow is it?  Well, in the month of May I added 44 new species to the list.  June has been a different story.  With only 5 days left in the month, June has only netted me 7 new birds.  A variety of factors have contributed to this screetching halt of bird sighting activity.  Most importantly, it is not May anymore.  Did you know that migration and May both start with the letter M?  That is not a coincidence.  Additionally, the birds that are still hanging around are getting harder and harder to identify due to the dense foliage.  Plus, I just haven't been able to get out as much in the month of June.  Despite all of that, 3 of my 7 June birds have been life birds, which is not too shabby.

The most exciting June bird arrived on the the night of the 17th.  As previously stated, I have not had too many opportunities to go birding recently.  This has resulted in a very restless birder.  Last Monday happened to be a day in which I had met my breaking point.  I was unable to get out during the day, and after putting Ruby down for the night I told my wife that I was going out to get my Barred Owl, and that I would not be back until I at least heard one.

To say I was optimistic about my chances of locating a Barred Owl would be a stretch.  As I have mentioned in previous posts, I am not a huge fan of owls.  Prior to this year I had not located one on my own.  It was the same routine everytime.  I'd be walking on the boardwalk at Magee and there would be a huge crowd looking up into one of the trees.  "What do you got?", I would ask.  "Screech Owl", the crowd would say.  It was cool to see them, but the hard work of finding the owl had already been done for me.  I wanted the satisfaction of finding these buggers on my own!

When I took off for Oak Openings on the 17th I had a vague idea of what I was going to do to try and locate a Barred Owl.  Several more experienced (and more successful) birders had told me about several spots at Oak Openings that were sure to produce Barred Owls.  They are: the pine stand behind the nature center, the pines by the Lodge, the intersection of Jeffers and Reed, and a group of pines north of Monclova Road close to Wilkins Road.

I have been to all of these locations in the past, but never at night.  I know that seems silly, especially considering the target here is a nocturnal animal, but I guess I never had the nerve to go walking through a forest at night looking for a bird until this moment.  I decided to try the spot on Monclova first.  By the time I got there it was getting pretty dark out.  I pulled off to the side of the road and began walking into the forest armed with a flashlight and a pocket knife.  Elissa told me to take a pocket knife in case I was attacked by a bobcat.  I guess they're seeing them in our area these days.

Once I got to a spot I thought would be a good place to start, I began doing my best impression of a Barred Owl.  It's not the best bird call in the world, but it turned out to be good enough.  Less than 15 minutes of making the call proved to be all that was needed.  After hearing a rustle in the trees less than 50 feet from me, a Barred Owl answered my call.  I was ecstatic!  But it wasn't enough.  I needed to see it.  We conversed a bit more as I made my way closer and closer to the sound in the trees on my right.  I eventually got to a spot that seemed like it was right on top of where the owl was at.  I clicked on my flashlight and saw my very first Barred Owl.

When he was calling, I got my wife on the phone to tell her about my success.  She could even hear the owl talking in the background.  Although I was thrilled that I had found the owl all on my own, I was a little sad and guility that Elissa wasn't there to see it too.  I'm always happier when she's by my side.

There are a few birds still hanging around the area (Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan) that I haven't seen yet.  They are: Black-billed Cuckoo, Blue Grosebeak, Broad-winged Hawk, Dickcissel, Prarie Warbler, and Yellow-throated Vireo.  There are more I'm missing, but these are what I would call my target birds.  I really want to see them.  Let me know if you see any of these birds close by.  I'd appreciate it.  Happy birding!

Bird Count: 243

Recent Notables: Blue-winged Warbler, Barred Owl, and Bank Swallow

Barred Owl photo courtesy of Sherrie Duris.