These guys come around quite a bit, i see them sometimes fly from tree to tree in the evenings. I got these shots probably around 9ish at night. Thanks for lookin guys. Glad there are others who appreciate these little guys. I wasn't sure what kind of owl they are, but they remind me of pygmy owls. They make a faint little noise not like a traditional owl sound or screech

Screech owls and barred owls are the easiest to call. I can do a barred owl well enough that they answer me, and sometimes fly in close to take a look. I learned it from a friend who was so good at it, you really couldn't tell the difference between her calls and the owls. Birders will on occasion use a recording of a screech owl call to bring in small birds. Birds will "mob" any screechie they thing is in their nesting territory, so they respond to the call by flying in like crazy to take a look around. This isn't really considered a good thing to do very often as it agitates the little birds, obviously. Once in awhile, it is helpful in seeing just what you might have living in a given area, though. I have been hearing barred owls at night for weeks now. Earlier in the season, I had two in my big oaks, calling at the top of their lungs one night, but I never could get the light on them to see them. Now they are calling from a block or so away every night. Ya gotta love owls. Too cool! Marcia

Last summer, 4th of July night, I was woke up by repeated screaming. At first I thought a child had wandered into the yard and was screaming bloody murder. Then I thought it sounded more cat-like and that a cat was being attacked. It went on for a long time. I was told later it was probably a screech owl. It scared the crap out of me, whatever it was.

It's so thrilling to read the above post that what I've been hearing (and caught a glimpse of on that one lucky occasion) may be a Great Horned owl!!! It reminds me of my visit to Yellowstone Nat'l Park back in 2001, when I heard the howling of a pack of wolves where it sent chills up my spine. Not only was it chilling hearing them, but to actually witness them in Lamar Valley. I never imagined I'd ever be so lucky hearing the call of the wild in my own backyard, though -- that of a Great Horned owl! Now, everytime I hear the "Hoo-Hoo-Hoo, Hoo-Hoo", I have my eyes peeled in the direction of the sounds. So far, haven't been one of the fortunate to see them roosting in the trees. I would've thought that as large as Great Horned owls are, that they'd be much easier to spot than a Red Tailed hawk.