This post is part of a project in the works; "An Ogemaw County Year". The blog and eventually the book will encompass nature noticing, research and facts over the course of a year with a watercolor painting for each entry. Originals and prints will be available via the website as they are completed and prepped and the book will be available upon completion.
It was one of those nights when the air felt alive, though the woods were silent. I stood under a canopy of stars, my breath clouding in the cold. The only sound was the gentle creak of tree branches swaying in the faint breeze. That’s when I heard it – the haunting call of a barred owl echoing through the forest.
“Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all?” It rang out, a sound both eerie and enchanting, cutting through the stillness and sending a shiver down my spine. Barred owls have always held a mysterious allure for me, and hearing one so close was exhilarating.
Curious and filled with awe, I pulled out my phone and played a recording of a barred owl’s call. The response was almost instantaneous. The call came again, this time much closer. Then, in the dim moonlight, I saw a shadow glide silently between the trees. Suddenly, there it was – a barred owl landing gracefully on a branch of the tree right next to me.
The owl’s dark eyes, framed by its distinctive round face and concentric ring pattern, locked onto mine. It tilted its head slightly, as if trying to figure out whether I was a friend, a foe, or just an odd-looking owl. Up close, the intricate feather patterns were mesmerizing – a mosaic of browns and whites that blended perfectly with the forest’s bark and shadows. For a few magical moments, we shared the space, both equally curious about the other.
Barred owls are fascinating creatures. Unlike many owl species, which are highly territorial, barred owls often respond to recordings because they’re curious and social. They mate for life, beginning their courtship with duets of hoots and calls, often as early as winter. Nesting starts in late winter or early spring, and they typically use old tree cavities or take over nests built by other birds.
A female barred owl usually lays 2 to 4 eggs, incubating them for about a month. During this time, the male hunts to provide food. Once the chicks hatch, they stay in the nest for four to five weeks, eventually clambering out to explore nearby branches in an awkward stage known as “branching.” For the next couple of months, they remain under their parents’ watchful eyes, learning to hunt and survive before becoming independent.
One fascinating fact about barred owls is their ability to rotate their heads nearly 270 degrees. This ability, thanks to extra vertebrae in their necks, compensates for their immobile eyes, which are fixed in their sockets. Their silent flight is another marvel, enabled by specialized feather edges that muffle the sound of their wingbeats. These adaptations make them exceptional hunters, silently swooping down on prey like mice, rabbits, or even amphibians.
That night, as the owl finally decided I was neither prey nor a fellow owl and took off into the night, I felt a deep connection to the wild. It was a fleeting moment, but one that stayed with me, a reminder of how much wonder lives in the woods, just beyond the edges of our everyday lives.
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