It’s Just a Country State of Mind: Things that go ‘hoot’ in the night

I can still remember the time when I was camping and heard strange, eerie sounds coming from deep in the forest. I was in my tent, and it was pitch dark outside. It was the middle of the night. A bird or animal made several high-pitched calls that sounded like I was in the middle of the jungle instead of a national forest. But then I heard the familiar call of a barred owl. A sigh of relief came over me.

Their normal vocalization sounds like: “Who cooks for you, who cooks for you all?” But, they also make those loud calls that make the little hair on the back of your neck stand-up. I finally got back to sleep that night, but it sure took me a while.

Indiana is home to at least eight species of resident and migratory owls. On more than a few of my hiking adventures and explorations, I have come across an owl from time to time.

Some facts about owls: An owl’s diet consists mostly of rodents, though they do eat snakes and frogs as well. Owls can rotate their heads 270 degrees. They can fly almost silently. They have amazing hearing and they can see in the dark.

Owls are often associated with Halloween because of their habits such as hunting at night, turning their head around, their startling night calls…well, you get the picture.

They are amazing creatures and I love owls. It’s very rare to see one during the daytime as they are nocturnal but sometimes, they are out in the daylight hours.

Out of all the owls that can be found in Indiana, the barred owl is one of my favorites. These owls are found throughout the state. They are also the most common owl in the state. They can grow to as much as 20 inches in height with a wing span as wide as 43 inches. They are very vocal owls, and this is one of the reasons I like them.

Another favorite of mine is the great horned owl. This owl is among the largest owls in Indiana. They are also year-round residents to the state. They’re easily recognized by their large size, their ear tufts, and yellow eyes. They can grow to be 18 to 24 inches tall with a wingspan of about 4.6 feet.

I also got to see one of these wonderful birds of prey at another time when I was camping. It was nighttime, and there was a full moon that illuminated the whole forest. The branches on the trees made eerie shadows on the ground. I was having trouble sleeping, so I laid there with my tent open and looked up at the sky to watch the moon. Suddenly, a large creature with big wings flew over my tent and startled me. At first, I didn’t recognize it as an owl, but once I heard it hooting, the call it made, I knew what it was.

Some other owls found in Indiana are the barn owl, Eastern screech owl, long-eared owl, and short-eared owl.

There have been many superstitions about owls throughout history. Some cultures used to believe that if you saw an owl, it was a harbinger of bad luck. Other cultures associated owls with wisdom. Owls are also classic symbols of Halloween because of their nocturnal habits, eerie calls, and centuries of folklore linking them to the supernatural. Perhaps they’ve gotten a bad rap.

I like owls, but I have got to tell you, when I’m sound asleep in my tent, deep in the dark forest, they can still make those small hairs on the back of my neck stand up when I hear those loud, startling calls in the dead of night.

In reality, owls are awesome birds of prey that live in our forests and help with keeping the rodent population down.

In closing, I’ll leave you with a quote about owls: “The wailing owl screams solitary to the mournful moon.” – David Mallett

“Who cooks for you?”

Happy Halloween!

Susan