Screech owls, in fact, are responsible for most of the calls to law enforcement insisting that ghosts are residing in an old barn, abandoned house or shed.

Screech owls — including the many known to nest locally — have the unique distinction of being dressed in either of two color phases: a rusty red or a brownish gray.

Evicting squirrels and starlings from screech owl nesting boxes is a year-round task. Some residents of Northeast Ohio have better luck attracting owls to their backyards than others.

Young screech owls make themselves at home in urban backyards, but you might not notice Pint-size owls, just 8 1/2 inches tall, might have nested right in your own backyard.

Nesting owls are quite vocal this time of year, as pairs frequently communicate with each other, share incubation duties and defend their territory from other owls and potential threats.” Here is some ...

To attract the owls, DeCandido plays a tape recording of a screech owl’s territorial call. The whinnying cry followed by mournful descending notes sounds eerily in the night calm.

Eastern screech owls are strictly nocturnal, which makes the sight of them during the day all that more special.

The latter, I know, and the former, I suspect, were the work of the screech owl. Its whinnying, high-pitched, descending chorus is one the most intriguing of night sounds across the valley.

Allison and I were watching the nest box as one of the baby owls peered out, ready to launch itself. As the baby owl left the box and flew past us, two startling sounds came from the bush next to ...

Screech owls begin nesting in March or early spring, using a tree cavity or hollow place to raise a family. Often, they have four or five eggs, or up to eight if they have excellent habitat.

Fortunately, screech owls can be enticed into nesting boxes. Research shows that screech owls readily choose man-made boxes even when natural cavities are available.

Screech owls nest in the cavities of trees. Woods speculates that a predator got into the nest and pulled one of the baby birds out, then came back the next day for another baby.