It’s a dark, foggy night. The air is cool and moist against your skin as you walk along a trail through the forest. The few leaves that have already fallen and now lie in the path accentuate each footfall. Suddenly, from somewhere ahead of you, comes an unearthly sound. Like the whinny of a demonical horse or the wail of a tortured spirit, it crescendos from a soft cry to a quavering sob. The preternatural sound is so strange that the hair on the back of your neck stands up. What should you do?

Like any knowledgeable soul, look for the owl! The eerie voice comes from a tiny owl, not more than ten inches in height, which is the eastern screech owl.

Screech owls are called “screech owls” not because of the sound they make, but because of the sound you make when you hear them! Their weird voice rises up out of the forest and sounds just like the ghost sounds you made as a little kid. Once, a panicked soul reported that a ghost followed him as he ran along a quiet country road at night. It was the fastest mile he ever made! On hearing a screech owl’s call, most people screech, and then run back inside their brightly lit, noisy homes. Only those who are willing to spend some time at night out of doors will hear this beautiful call, as one owl sings to another.

Beginning at dusk from late August through October, screech owls are most vocal.  Their calls are songs of communication between the males and females.  The adult owls are also calling to their young of the year, enticing the young from their roost and encouraging them to hunt. Often several owls can be heard calling in one area, as they establish the limits of their territories.
Screech owls feed on mice and on large insects. In turn, they may become food for the much larger great horned owl. Once a great horned owl or barred owl begins to hoot, the small screech owls get quiet!

Screech owls occur throughout the eastern two-thirds of the country. In the northern part of their range, they are most often reddish in color, but southern owls are usually grey. They aren’t as shy as many of the other owls, and even occur in urban parks. They can be found in heavily forested areas as well as more open farm fields, so nearly anywhere in the Brevard area is a potential spot to find a screech owl.

This time of year, the only other local owl that is commonly calling is the barred owl. Its call is loud and emphatic, and has been described as “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for y’all?” As a good southern owl, the “y’all” at the end of the call is characteristic! Barred owls are able to make an incredible number of other sounds, many of which also disturb the peacefulness of an evening’s walk or camping trip with their otherworldly quality. One of these sounds is like a high-pitched, yapping dog, but one that is located high above you, in a tree. Barred owls prefer deep forests, and occur in coastal swamps as well as high mountains.

Great horned owls do most of their calling from December to February, when they mate and raise their young. They are one of the earliest-season nesting birds, and must sometimes protect their chicks from snowfalls by standing in the nest with outspread wings. Their call is soft, but resonant, and is a series of deep “hoots.” They are most common in locations with fields bordered by forests.

The most unusual owl in our region is the saw-whet owl, which is named for its call. Most folks have probably never heard the sound of a saw being sharpened (or whetted), although this was familiar music to most of the early settlers in this forested region.  The saw-whet’s call is a repetitive series of toots or clear whistles, all on the same pitch. These tiny owls are found in the far north and only occur locally in areas along the Parkway such as Devil’s Courthouse. They call in the spring and are not very vocal this time of year.

Screech owls are cavity-nesters, and normally require hollow trees in which to nest. They will, however, readily use constructed boxes. By placing a nest box for them, you can attract a pair to your property, so consider building a box for a screech owl. On late summer evenings, you’ll be treated to the strange song of this small owl. Like me, you might smile with the knowledge that the population of mice living in your woodshed or garage will soon decrease even while your owls raise their young.

                                                                    Screech Owl