Night Birding and Barred Owls
Night birding provides an experience that is unique and unlike any other especially to the casual bird watchers. The nocturnal birds, refer to birds that are active during night times . Within the East Texas/West Louisiana region, the most common type of nocturnal birds tend to be the Barred Owl. Leave your pet bird in his quaint bird cage and his sedentary lifestyle while you spread your own wings and venture into the darkness.
Physical Description
The adult owl can span from 16 to 25 inches on average and possess a wingspan that can range from 38 to 49 in. Its pale face and dark rings that cover the eyes along with the yellow beak and absence of ear tufts tend to be its defining features. Barred owls are also distinguishable for its versatile vocalizations capabilities.
Preparing for Night Bird Watching
Prior to proceeding with night birding, it is first important to have familiarity with the area in which you will be engaging in. As most birding take place in mostly wooded areas it is always advised that you are aware of your surrounding, and especially with night birding due to the limited visibility due to the lack of natural lighting.
What to Bring
If you simply wish to observe the nocturnal birds, night vision enabled binoculars and flash lights or torches tend to be the important items to bring along. However, regular flashlights that emit yellow or white lights tend to deter the Barred Owls as the frequency at which these lights are emitted tend to be irritable to them. A simple solution for this can be placing a red lens over the light source, or simply covering the light with a red plastic film as they tend to prevent the birds’ pupils from dilating.
More Advice
Barred owls chiefly live in single territory and so likelihood of spotting the nocturnal birds should increase with succeeding visits. This can allow you to get further familiar with the area you may choose to go birding. Owls tend to feed right after sun down, then rest for about two hours before becoming active once again until dawn. Aside from the nocturnal birds you might also enjoy observing other creatures such as Common Gray Fox and Whitetail Deer.