We don’t have to see birds in the winter

We don’t have to see birds in the winter to know they’re around — we can sometimes hear them if they are close by.

We tend to think of birds as silent in winter, but many vocalize. Some call the same way they do during mating, but most are rather subdued in winter — offering only half-hearted chips, peeps, or squawks. Since it isn’t mating season now for most birds, it’s unclear what these sounds are for — maybe just for fun — but they aren’t usually prolonged or obvious.

There is one notable group of birds whose vocalizations are most obvious in winter. It is the owls and their various hoots.

In late January and into February, one can hear owls calling in the evening — the deep, resonant hoots of the great-homed owl, the cacophony of the barred owl, and the tremulous whinny of the screech owl.

We live in a wooded area so the owls we hear most often are barred owls.

One of the calls of this species has been described, as “a loud series of spectacular dueting vocalizations during courtship that sound like maniacal laughter.” Another consists of eight notes sounding like, “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all?”

If you can hear barred owls, you may be able to see one. They are a stocky bird with a round head and short tail. You’ll most likely see them in mature forests, where they maintain' permanent territories and set up nesting sites in cavities, mostly in deciduous trees. They’ve also been known to use abandoned squirrel nests or nests of larger birds.

In more open habitats, including fruit orchards, you may be lucky enough to see or hear the great-homed owl. This owl is large and powerful with ear tufts and enormous yellow eyes. It has the most extensive home range of any North American owl, and it establishes and maintains territories by hooting a deep resonant 6-noted, “Whoo! Whoo-whoo-whoo-whoo! Whoo!” These calls become especially pro