![]() ![]() Big owl, 20 to 28 inches tall, weighs 3 ½ to 6 ½ pounds.If you discover an owl, please keep it to yourself, enjoy the sighting and then move on. If you're looking for owls, keep your eyes peeled, visit owls' preferred habitats and be patient. In some cases, you'll have to drive a ways, some might show up only during spring or fall migration and snowy owls only occasionally move down from the Arctic. Here's an introduction to owl species you might see in Minnesota. This doesn't mean you need to avoid an area where owls are nesting, just be discreet. It's a wonderful thing that some owls nest near us, and we need to return the favor by giving them room to go about their business without harassment. This is disturbing to the owls, especially during the breeding season, which is why there's a hard-and-fast rule in the birding community: Do not report owl sightings. Humans are mad for owls, it seems, and people gather wherever and whenever they hear of owl sightings. They generally let other creatures do the construction work or find good-sized holes in trees. Some owls are already raising their broods, and one fascinating feature of the owl world is that with few exceptions, owls don't build their own nests. Or when crows or other birds call loudly and dive-bomb an owl to drive it away. When we do notice owls, it's usually during nesting season, when owls are calling and attached to a nest site. Owls work hard to avoid coming to our attention - you may have walked under an owl perching in the woods without even realizing it. The three most common are the great horned owl, barred owl and screech owl, a "Goldilocks" trio: Great horned owls are very big, barred owls are medium-sized and screeches are very small. ![]() Some are fairly easy to spot, while some are a real challenge. If you're an owl fan (and who isn't?), then you'll be happy to know that it's possible to see eight species of owls in our area, at least for part of the year. Big owls, little owls, white owls, dark owls, owls with "ears," awww-cute owls - there's plenty to see in the trees.
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