[rivergazer]

Novice birder here, and would like to find owls here in NY. I live on the Seneca River in Baldwinsville, just a little west of Syracuse. Starting around this time of year, at night, I occasionally hear the calls of barred owls, sometimes quite close, but can never get a view. I even made a high power flashlight attachment for my binoculars so the light follows the field of view precisely, but still no views. Not just barred owls, would like to see ANY owls. Any suggestions on techniques, or maybe local groups that might point me in the right direction?

thanks,

marty

[etudiant]

Hi,
Owls are tough, so patience is essential.
If you can localize the place they appear to be calling from, you can search during the day at the base of the trees for owl pellets. That will allow you to narrow down your search a lot. Of course, actually spotting an owl roosting in an evergreen is also challenging. I've had instances where a pair of Long Eared Owls were a bear to locate even though I knew exactly which tree they were using. That is also why flashlights are less useful than expected. Unless the bird is sitting well out in the open, the light will just glare off the first few branches and put everything further back into deeper shade.
Your area is a wonderful birding spot. The local patch report web site is :
http://www.birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NNYB.html

Also contact Joseph Brin brinjoseph AT yahoo.com He posts the updates and should be a good place to start for the Syracuse area.