An eye out for owls: by following clues, this author caught owls on camera.

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It was a September morning, and I was lugging a large camera through tall pines. The area was perfect for a family of great horned owls. The trees were well spaced for the owls' large wingspans. But it was the third time I'd come to this spot, and I had not yet seen any owls.

Suddenly, I heard noisy crows in the distance. Crows often get together in a tree and make loud noises for no obvious reason. But sometimes they squawk a lot when they come across a raptor, a bird that hunts animals. Owls are raptors. I followed the noise and found a great horned owl.

People are often surprised to learn that many owls live in ordinary neighborhoods. One February day, I said to my friend as we drove along, "Stop the car. There's a screech owl in that tree!"

The tree was on a front lawn. Even though the driver doubted me, he stopped the car. Sure enough, an eastern screech owl stared back at us from a hole in the tree. Over the years, I have become used to looking carefully at trees for screech owls.

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For many years, I had wanted to photograph a long-eared owl. I had often seen these birds in the wild, but they are hard to photograph. They hide in thick trees during the day. Like other small owls, they can be eaten by larger owls and other raptors.

One winter day, I was at a spot where three long-eared owls liked to roost in cedar trees. It was the first time I had a good view of these owls! Each one was no taller than a paper-towel tube.

I set up my camera as quickly as I could. One long-eared owl stared back at me just long enough that I could take a few pictures. Then it hopped onto a more hidden branch.

The barred owl is a fairly large bird with deep black eyes. It allows you to get closer than other owls do. But if you happen to be a great horned owl, it won't stick around very long. It's been reported that the great horned owl might eat the barred owl!

One November, I came face-to-face with a barred owl in a swampy, wooded area. Luckily, there were no great horned owls around. This spot had been the winter home of a barred owl for many years. The only years it was not seen were those when a great horned owl lived in the area.

The fall and winter are great times to look for owls. When leaves are gone from the trees, the owls' perches are much easier to spot. Keep your eyes open for owls this season.

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