The Headache I Call Owls

Let me make something very clear to you all, I have a total of negative zero luck with owls. I'm not kidding around. I'll give you an example. Two of the best places around my area to see Short-eared Owls in my area are Shawangunk Grasslands and Jakes Landing. It is said that you are near guaranteed shorties if you go to these places at dusk. Let me tell you, I have been to both...and failed both times. What's even better is that each time, less than ten minutes after I left, the owls fly out and start to hunt. I think I might be cursed or something. The only times I see owls are when they are handed to me on a silver platter. I've seen them in a friend's owl box, on birding tours, etc. Well today, I was informed that there was a Barred Owl, a well overdue life bird, in my neck of the woods. When I say my neck of the woods, I literally mean my town. My friend had a Barred Owl in a little woodland patch near where he was working. Even better, it has been there for about a year now...a year...and I had no clue. This only goes to show what you can find close to home, but that's irrelevant. So I rally up the crew (my mom and my friend who knows the trails well), and we head in to find this owl. After a long while of searching with, at best, a potential call that I think was a Great Horned Owl. Finally, as I'm scanning some pines, a large bird comes beasting through the woodlot. I could not tell what it was for sure, but it certainly looked like an owl to me. However, I don't count species if I "think" it was that. Like Richard Crossley said, "even 99% sure still means you don't know." So there you have it, foiled again by those damn owls. I intend to try again in the morning before I go to work. I'm going to break this owless curse if it kills me! 

I'll update you guys if I find it or not, until then, good birding!

- Mike

Female Snowy Owl: For some reason I've had great luck with 

these guys, I'm 2 for 3 for chasing them.