How to Find Owls | Bird Photography

[@delusionaldragon42]

Attended a seminar on ethical owl photography for those who might be wondering how you can tell you're giving an owl enough space, and why it's important: 1) The eyes. If their eyes are wide open and staring right at you, they are not comfortable. they are high alert and stressed. If they're squinted or straight-up closed, that's a good sign that they're not bothered. 2) The plumage. If they are puffed up, they're probably stressed 3) Their position. An owl not facing you directly, looking around, or even with its back turned is a chill, happy owl. Even with its back turned, it knows you are there, and has decided it doesn't feel threatened. A stressed owl can very quickly turn into a dead owl. It's not healthy for them to be on high alert like that, especially when so many folks are crashing into their space. Plus, you stomping around their feeding grounds can make hunting more difficult. Don't stay too long, don't use flashlights directly at them or flash photography, be responsible in your own actions and be responsible in who you share information with regarding an owl's location

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Yes! Absolutely. I should have added these to the video. I will probably do an updated video in the future and add this information in with it because it is important for people to know along with the other things I covered in the video. I’ll pin your comment until then!

[@richarddidio1653]

Nice info

[@soothingescapism]

Crazy story for you!!!....I watched this video last night because it popped up on my feed. This morning as I walked out to my car there were a million crows behind my house yelling in the trees. I stopped and listened for a few seconds and thought, "Wow, they're sure loud." When I got home tonight the same ruckus was going on. I went back in the field and you will never guess what was happening!!! There were probably 50 crows yelling at an owl back there!!! I took a video of it and posted it as a short on my channel so I could show you!! I could not believe the irony, because I never would have thought they were cawing out an owl if I hadn't seen your video last night!!! Huge coincidence!!!

[@TheDirtyBirder]

That’s amazing! Looks like a great horned owl who is not impressed by the crows at all 😂 thanks for watching and sharing your story

[@Goodwishes67]

I’ve been a professional bird photographer for several years now and I laughed when you said “ask people in your community for help” 😂 here in NY asking for locations of owls especially is nearly impossible and people won’t say anything to you even if you’re an ethical birder. I have found several Great Horned nests on my own after scouting EBird pins and putting in the time. My biggest tip with Great Horned is actually to go out midday before dusk during breeding season. GHO will usually start calling very early in the day around 2:30/3:00 doing their duet calls during mating season late December - early February here in North east . So you can still look with great light and calls and you will find them. They tend to call less once they’re on eggs but they still will duet occasionally. Also, they are less skittish during the day I have found and will less likely flush at the sight of you. The females will usually stay and the males will fly off first and are more skittish. 95% of all GHO I have found were roosting in evergreens cedars or pines high up along the trunk. I ALWAYS start at the evergreens in the area and most of the time I will find them there. The owls get pestered by the jays and crows so they tend to hide during the day to rest! The easiest way to find owls is to go to a location and look for the photographers with the giant lenses first 🤣 wish it were that easy most times! Just some tips I’d pass along!

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Between attending local Audubon events and conservation efforts I’ve been able to build relationships with people in my community so I’m now pretty well trusted. I never did it for the purpose of learning locations but just moreso having a passion for learning more about birds and bird habitat. This is moreso what I meant by asking your community for help (by helping them also) which I should have clarified more. Thank you for watching and thanks for the tips! I’ll be sure to keep them in mind when searching next.

[@Goodwishes67]

@@TheDirtyBirder yes I agree! Some people are just sticklers with locations and it’s just super competitive here! I’ll have to take a trip to PA soon and get some owl shots! Love your video and I am a new sub ! Happy Hunting!

[@gary_michael_flanagan_wildlife]

LOL I am from Ny too and thankfully moved away. Everyone is all uptight and needs to loosen up a bit. Half joking here. But still, you guys have all the idiots chasing the snowy owls all over Jones beach and flushing the heck out of them so I can see why people are more guarded on locations due to the density of people. I’ll never forget the day I went there and people were riding motor bikes on the beach and all kinds of craziness in trying to find the birds. Here in NC it’s a bit easier to find people who want to help you. But owls are just hard to find either way but with this video it definitely helps!! Thanks!

[@TheDirtyBirder]

@@gary_michael_flanagan_wildlife thanks Gary! I appreciate your input on the matter. Definitely helps people to know that some areas are definitely different than others when it comes to ethical photography and community in general.

[@gary_michael_flanagan_wildlife]

@@TheDirtyBirder thanks! I appreciate the video. I have a hard time finding birds so I usually rely on the birders first until I learn the behaviors of the birds and then it gets easier. I’m actually looking for the smaller owl species here if I can find them. The ones who use the cavities more so.

[@VirginiaStevens-v9p]

Thank you for being so respectful of the owls! Well Done!

[@TheDirtyBirder]

@@VirginiaStevens-v9p thank you!

[@jillroberts7842]

You haven’t failed! Your out there and doing good. I’m impressed!

[@TheDirtyBirder]

I appreciate that! Thank you for watching!

[@VirginiaStevens-v9p]

You did a great job. I am an equestrian, in Massachusetts. They are funny birds. many times they fly right across my path. It is always breathtaking! Silent.

[@MichaelKensinger]

🦉 this video was a hoot. Yes, I went there.

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Of course you did 😂

[@seantron5687]

Just started wildlife photography in OH and now I'm hoping to find some owls, thanks for the awesome video!

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Thanks for watching!

[@Priscilla-wj2ds]

Thank you so much for this. I’m as amateur as they come and have become obsessed with owls. Imagine my surprise that a bird photographer is having as rough a time as I am! This is how little I’ve understood about it. There’s an orange screech owl in a sycamore at the park near my house, my first time there I actually saw 2 but came to discover it was beginner’s luck. I do think there’s great value in being quiet in nature and just observing. This was very helpful and I admire your tenacity. I’m pretty relieved not to be an owl photographer! 😂🤣😅😂

[@glock2101]

I never knew I wanted to try photographing owls until this video. Thanks, got my sub!

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Thanks for the sub and for watching! If you fail at first just stick with it.

[@richarddidio1653]

Keep the faith you’ll succeed. I look for owls always in PA where I live and have have not seen one either🙏🙏🙏

[@okay_birds]

Great advice on ethical bird photography! Would love to see a Screech Owl someday! Cheers, DT 🦉

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Ide love to see one too 😂 thank you for watching and hope I could help in some way!

[@bethrichardsonhawkins2095]

Great video - thanks for the tips and for showing the reality of wildlife photography.

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Thank you for watching!

[@johnbrunedigital1]

Great video. Thanks for keeping it real! Best of luck because I feel the same way about bald eagles and recently just captured my first set of uncropped wild eagle shots and was thrilled! Back to photographing nuthatches and woodpeckers until the next opportunity comes!

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed and good luck with the baldy’s

[@kenwiberg6517]

Here on Vancouver Island, we use the noise from Robins telling the GHO's to leave the area, mostly in the spring time............Barred Owl can be found near little streams as there are usually a good supply of cray fish - food supply is the basis of all living creatures - repeat nest trees is a good thing to check.........

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Great tips! Actually just yesterday had two barred owls calling right by me at a lake while scouting waterfowl!

[@goldenfrog6EsCoSes]

Excellent! Owls are just wonderful birds. I would love to be able to photograph one.

[@TheDirtyBirder]

I agree! Hope the video helped in some way!

[@MikeKline]

Great information, thanks. Owls have been one of my white whales for quite awhile.

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Hey same here! Thanks for watching and I hope you got something out of the video

[@Owl296-bp7pl]

Hello, The best way to locate them (GHOs) would be to go to the field as often as possible and find where they are hooting. This way, you will learn their territory and narrow the search area. The best time is between10 minutes before and 30 minutes after sunset. Also, the time between 30 minutes before the sunrise and the sunrise is good. The place of the first hoot in the evening is especially useful since they hoot at the roost. BTW, they change roosts every few days. They hoot frequently in the fall (less so in the spring and summer). ... all based on the behavior of an GHO family. Good luck with your GHO search.

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Thank you for the insight! I’ll be sure to implement this information on future searches. thank you for watching!

[@jasonbecker4974]

This is a really well done video. Thanks for sharing, and thank you for your passion for the wild.

[@TheDirtyBirder]

I appreciate the kind words! Thank you for watching!

[@mariaulvw]

Cool video! You are so fortunate to have so many owl species in your area!

[@TheDirtyBirder]

That I am! Though sometimes it does feel like they aren’t here at all lol

[@mariaulvw]

@@TheDirtyBirder haha I bet! I am inspired though - I will try and go out and look for an owl this week! I have never seen an owl in Norway although I know they are hiding nearby

[@TheDirtyBirder]

@@mariaulvw I wish you good luck and hope you can use at least some of what I had in this video to help you out!

[@num1hendrickfan]

First time photographing a Great horned owl, the owl actually found me first. Have a few places I know have owl presence, but my most proficient location is a park I observe Osprey at. The owl's nested along a side trail one year, though I never saw the nest site. That particular trail though is popular as a hunting location. I can usually count on finding mom teaching her owlets hunting at that spot. Caught her last year briefly as she was perched in a low branch owlet in the brush ( I think the owlet was making begging calls or some call ).

[@TheDirtyBirder]

That’s awesome! Glad you’ve had more success with owls than I have 😂

[@jimcoon]

I see a pair of great horned owls every morning. I live in a very rural area but in a neighborhood. It is always too dark to get any photographs and I always see the pair on rooftops. I found a nest last year but they don’t appear to be using it this year. I will keep checking it. Some years a red-tailed hawk pair use this same nest.

[@bobert561]

4:37 found a Eastern Screech in that tree cavity Jan.2022 red morph, tree is in park west of Hollidaysburg ??

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Yep! The park is east of hollidaysburg though.

[@skellyTM]

How do you find land big enough that you're allowed to roam to find them? I feel limited to small parks around my area

[@TheDirtyBirder]

State parks are always a good option. Also, you can look on e-bird for general bird hotspots in your area. Sometimes I travel up to a couple hours to find owls if I know the place will be worth my while in one way or another

[@rdphoto2]

Great information Joe. I live in Tennessee. Most popular for us is Barred Owl and Screech Owl.

[@TheDirtyBirder]

That’s great! Just heard a couple barred owls calling today actually.

[@LuisAlonsoPhotography]

I feel your pain. Something I've learned is to look for them during their nesting season. they will stay in the area to look after the nest and won't move around. Also, I've made many photographer friends asking and sharing locations of anything I see.

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Glad I’m not the only one 😂 All good tips though! My area doesn’t really have a whole lot of bird photographers but birders definitely have helped out with locations of all kinds of things

[@OldForestBushcraft]

Great video! Im recently into wildlife photography, and know there are quite a bit of owls in my region. Your video is really inspiring! Cheers from the village of Fiskars, Finland!

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Thank you I appreciate that!

[@LanceChennault]

Great video (I live in Germany now...was from the Pacific Northwest) and I found this amazing. Great information and I will be sure to take this with me when I am on the look out for Owls here in. We do have a Tawny (I think) Owl here near our property, so ....I will be looking now with your tips

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Thanks so much! Glad I could help in some way. Let me know what you find!

[@raselittlefield9624]

You showed a Tawny Owl, not a Barred.....

[@TheDirtyBirder]

@@raselittlefield9624 it’s actually a Ural owl. The stock photo didn’t have a label but I knew it looked similar. Honest mistake, I’ll be sure to address it in my next video on owls!

[@Johnkostercreative]

For Eastern Screech Owls, check the hollows of Birch trees. For Great Horned Owls, check the branches of large pine trees in wooded areas.

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Thank you for the tips! Greatly appreciated!

[@jelizabethpetrie6656]

Great Horned Owls in northeastern IL/WI border they like spending time in the canopies of leafed out White Oak trees and Pines. They also nest in them, as we hear them thru the night calling.

[@mallermedia]

Well done! Happy tracking...hope you get something you are satisfied with.

[@TheDirtyBirder]

I know I will eventually! Just haven’t had the luck so far

[@Birderdad77]

Thanks for sharing your owl search story. Just a note, the “Barred Owl” you have pictured at 0:59 is actually a Ural Owl from Europe, Siberia and Asia.

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Thank you! Unfortunately, some of the stock photos I used didn’t have labels and to be honest was a little unsure of that one. I’ll be sure to mention that and correct in in the next video!

[@gillyguevara8986]

Owl location is not usually shared on ebird or other media. But the location still easily spread among photographers in the area.

[@TheDirtyBirder]

I tend to stay away from heavily shared locations among photographers for obvious reasons. E-bird and chatting with people around have proven to be the best way I know to be able to go out and find your own.

[@mustachadon]

Stick with it brother you're getting traction on youtube!

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Thanks man! I appreciate it. Thanks for watching!

[@joshdonaldson4587]

In the falconry world pellets are called castings

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Thank you for that fun fact and thanks for watching! I’ll be sure to include that in a future video on owls.

[@edwinlesiuk6369]

Taking pics of owls is a pain, i know. Out here in south east Saskatchewan, Canada. I see a lot of owls, but so far in the past 3 years and during winter, i have gotten a lot of images of snowy owl. I hear a lot of owls, but missed opportunities happen. I just found a great horned owl, just south of my yard, it looks like it hides in a big magpie nest, which is like a tree cavity. Eventually, i will get a couple of pics of it. Thanks for all your info.

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Absolutely! I really enjoyed reading about your experience and hope you are able to find that great horned!

[@joncothranphotography9375]

I have not been successful with owls either. Seems that when I find one, I don't have my camera or I can't stop to catch the image. Thanks so much for your advice!

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Absolutely! Thanks for watching!

[@rambarimba0157]

Very very nice,beaitiful video

[@Gogogordy1]

My first visit to your channel and all I kept thinking during your talking head portions was “I didnt know Seth Rogen goes birding….” Then the cavity search subject came up and, well…. But seriously a good video and I’ll be checking back into your channel.

[@TheDirtyBirder]

I never got compared to Seth Rogan before 😂 thanks for tuning in and hope your future cavity searches go well.

[@Gogogordy1]

@@TheDirtyBirder I like to think even a bad cavity search is a good one, but that's just me

[@davidclippinger3987]

I find owl photography to be a delicate subject. It usually brings out the worst in photographers and birders alike. That said it’s still fun but I just stay to myself and rarely give out locations. Interesting video, I will have to give you a follow.

[@TheDirtyBirder]

I agree! Seems to be controversial on a lot of fronts. Thanks for watching and I hope you stay tuned for future videos.

[@89cw]

Got a follow from me - I look forward to seeing the blind episode!

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Thank for watching Cameron! Hopefully will have that one out next week!

[@89cw]

I’ll stay tuned!

[@donnabridges7675]

If possible you need trail cams to help with the surveillance work.

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Had a lot of people through Facebook comment saying about using an infrared scope for owl spotting and I thought that was a pretty brilliant idea as well

[@austinwalker9061]

Ebird isnt showing any owls species in my area. I live right outside of Yellowstone, so I highly doubt there hasn't been anyseen. Are people probably just not reporting them?

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Yeah that’s probably the issue.

[@joshhead9368]

Great tips man thanks alot. I like to spend a ridiculously long time in the woods and see nothing, and then ill be driving to wal mart and see an owl sotting on a fence post. Haha.

[@TheDirtyBirder]

I feel that pain all too well lol. especially when that happens and you don’t even have your camera on you 🤦‍♂️

[@wmbrennan]

Where are you in Pa?

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Central

[@laurelb8372]

Well done

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Thank you!

[@jerjaws]

what part of PA?

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Central Pa

[@brighteyedbirding]

Awesome video! Keep up the good work! Excited to see more.

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Thank you!

[@mikemcdonald5147]

the way i find owls is i walk out into the woods and yell HEY YOU and the owls will say WHO? and thats how I locate them :) ;)

[@bamsemh1]

Forgot the lens. Well, try to forget the memory card in the card reader, while finally seeing the flock of deer gathering on your way to the destination. At least you can get anything with the wrong lens, but nothing without the card 😂

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Damn that’s rough. Been in that situation a couple times myself and it’s never fun 😂

[@RH-cp6xw]

Owling is fun. I learned a lot on how to find them once I started looking. This is the best time of year for owls babies coming soon. I am in Ohio

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Definitely exciting times to come! Good luck this spring!

[@seemyworld1]

You have a great attitude towards ethical photography. I do have to question using the footage of others in your videos. Is the footage of owls in the video stock reel? Even if you have the right to use the clips, it is not very ethical for a photographer to insert someone else's work and not put a "footage by xxxx" on the screen.

[@TheDirtyBirder]

They are all stock images/footage that I paid to use. I didn’t necessarily need to insert their @ but tracked most of theirs down just so i could also give them credit.

[@seemyworld1]

@@TheDirtyBirder Sorry, I did not mean to be confusing. I did not doubt you had the rights/permissions to use the footage. It is just that if a photographer makes a video it is natural for people to assume you took the footage. It is also unusual for a photographer to use any footage other than their own. That being said, you are very natural on the camera and I love your concern for the subjects. I subscribed, but I want to see YOUR work. (and yes, I realize you are bringing us the frustrating experience of locating subjects)

[@lisabegley8620]

I see owls all the time.. I see a breeding pair of barred owls often & i have a great horned owl that lives in my woodss

[@PetCactusA_HarmlessLittlePrick]

Nest boxes.

[@ethyleneethylene5]

Subscribe…..I’m owl lover beginner . Thanks for the tips.❤😊

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Thanks for watching! Hope I could help 😊

[@anthonythacker2768]

Floating blind!??

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Or floating hide. Whatever you want to call it lol

[@kalinmir]

Why wouldnt you show the pellets? I dont need to look at your face to comprehend what you are saying

[@ronbrown8559]

I don’t understand why you think you invaded their territory! Like all wildlife they adjust to human activity! Thousands of Wild Turkey hunters across North America every year use hoot owl calls to locate turkeys in the spring! And we still have owls and they don’t get their feathers ruffled at all!

[@TheDirtyBirder]

I think the issue I mostly had was it was at a place that didn’t get a lot of foot traffic. Having experienced other birders and bird photographers flush owls out of areas before due to repeated visits, I didn’t want the same to happen. Especially with the goal of being able to visit and still have the owl there for photos in the future, I thought it best to spend my time elsewhere for the time being.

[@marvinrobinson8519]

Pretty good videao except could you please leave out the profanity? I'm here to learn photography skill - not profanity.

[@TheDirtyBirder]

“The Dirty Birder” channel was created to be raw behind the scenes videos showing the reality of wildlife photography/video. Due to that I’m not going to sensor or filter myself.

[@randomstuff53078]

lol you sound like you’d be real fun at parties 🙄

[@jamesschneider3828]

Must be a new word "videao" please use words that I can understand.

[@str8boogerflikn102]

Wow, what a snowflake. It's just a word. Words man deemed were bad...grow up child

[@kalinmir]

Birding is a profane activity so I dont see how those two things are in conflict

[@RH-cp6xw]

Owling is fun. I learned a lot on how to find them once I started looking. This is the best time of year for owls babies coming soon. I am in Ohio