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A big welcome back to Carleton from your Cole Student Naturalists! We’ve returned to the face-numbing cold that is Minnesota winter. While it’s tempting to bundle up into all of your clothing at once and forget about ever spending time outside beyond your frigid stumbles to classes, I’m here to try to tempt you back out into the Arboretum. Despite the cold and the short days of winter, there is life outside your dorm room. In fact, now is a wonderful time to experience some of our most elusive Arboretum fauna: owls.
While there are several species of owl that can be found in the Arboretum at various times of the year, now is a particularly interesting time to watch and listen for the Great Horned Owl and the Barred Owl. These two birds commonly nest in the Arboretum and are beginning their mating seasons. This means that these normally mysterious birds will be much more vocal than usual as they go about their courtship.
Because these owls are nocturnal, you’re most likely to hear and see them at night. You also have a good chance in the early evening and early morning. Listen for the classic hooting call of Great Horned Owls. The male Barred Owl offers a similar hoot, and is sometimes accompanied by the more unusual, almost barking response of the female. If you’re curious about what exactly to listen for or are having difficulty identifying something that you’ve heard in the Arboretum lately, there are many bird call audio files available on the internet.