Scary barn owl

[Royall]

One night last week when it was just about dark, A large barn owl flew past my front window. I just happen to be looking out the window when it flew by. Startled me for a split second before I realized what the huge white thing was! Feel lucky just to have seen that awesome sight!

Royall

Hale O Na Mea Pa`ani

[TheBlueDhalia]

Cool post! I will be looking oout for owls when I get there! Would love to catch them with my camera. Thanks for sharing!

[TheBlueDhalia]

Cool post! I will be looking oout for owls when I get there! Would love to catch them with my camera. Thanks for sharing!

[Wao nahele kane]

They also make another noise that is like a light rapid tapping on a hollow wood dowel. I originally thought it was a toad. If you ever hear that very subtle sound... you'll now know an owl is nearby.

E ho'a'o no i pau kuhihewa.

[maud gonne]

Oh. I heard a similar blood-curdling sound on the mainland a few times. It was a screech owl - much sharper than the sound link in TomK's post. Once heard, never forgotten. The accompanying hiss is the truly hair-raising part. I think barn owls and screech owls are synonymous.

[Radiopeg]

I have a cat that was the attempted meal of a barn owl. I was enjoying the fact she's be safer here. Now I hear the owls are here, too. Jeez, I wish people would leave critters where they found them. Except, of course, for the ones I like []

Peace and long life

[flytraps]

Well if you have the barn owls you won't have to worry to much about rodents. You may even not have to put up any fly traps.

[OrchidIslander]

TomK - thank you so much for supplying a link to the cry.

Believe me, if you hear that cry late at night - you won't forget it.

I've heard that same shriek at least 3 times, late at night near HPPAO (16th and Maku'u)in the last month or so. Scared the bejesus out of me. It sounded like an orc from the Lord of the Rings trilogy was marching down Maku'u looking for prey. Foolishly there I sat working late on my computer behind a picture window with interior lights ablaze. I am not ashamed to say that the first time I heard it, I disconnected the computer turned out the lights and sought the safety of my bed and partner. I had never heard that sound before and it creeped me out big time.

Thanks again for clearing up the mystery and for the sign of relief....

[YurtGirl]

I've seen those massive white owls a few times around Puna. What kind of owls are those? Phenomenal creatures...

[TomK]

OrchidIslander - it took me a long time to figure out what was making the noise and most of the time they were coming from quite a distance, so never made the connection. I can't remember how I finally figured it out but might have heard the noise on a TV show or something and then looked it up, probably after a very loud and frightening screech nearby! It was many years ago when I first heard the screeches.

YurtGirl - they're barn owls (look at my original post that started the thread). They were introduced to Hawaii a while ago. Beautiful creatures and very large (the Hawaiian owl is quite small in comparison) but with a bloodcurdling call, especially if they are nearby. I hear them often and although I haven't seen one near my house I know by the occasional very loud screech they are often nearby (I've seen them elsewhere though).

Tom
http://apacificview.blogspot.com/