It has been my desire to spot an owl while on a hike. I have heard the call of a great horned owl at dusk, but I’ve never seen it.

It is easier to spot owls during winter months because leaves are off the trees, and it is therefore easier to see their silhouettes. On one of my recent walks, I noticed something that I thought was an owl, but when I took a closer look with binoculars, I realized it wasn’t a real owl after all. So disappointing! The search goes on. I did some additional research to improve my chances of finding one of these elusive birds of prey. One of the clues I will look for is whitewash, splatters of thick chalky white excrement on the ground and on tree branches found around owl roosting spots.

This hunt reminds me of Owl Moon, one of my favorite winter picture books. The illustrations are exceptional, and there are many examples of figurative language. Click here or here to watch the story.

Click here for the Safeshare link for the informative video about owls below.