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Eastern Screech Owl Photos

Photography by Terry Sohl

My Favorite: Eastern Screech Owls are a species I never really go looking for, but just run across on occasion. I'm sure there are a lot more around than people realize, as they seem to be just as home in a city park as they do in a protected forest. I've had a lot of luck over the years coming across them in and around Beaver Creek Nature Area, where my favorite photo below is also from. It seems there's a higher density of the reddish-morph in that area.

As is often the case, the way I found this owl wasn't because of the owl itself, but of the songbirds that were mobbing it. It didn't seem too bothered by all the activity, but it eventually did fly off into the forest after some particularly aggressive mobbing by a couple of Baltimore Orioles (photo #5 below).

Eastern Screech Owl - Megascops asio 

Eastern Screech Owl 1 - Megascops asio

Eastern Screech Owl 2 - Megascops asio

Eastern Screech Owl 3 - Megascops asio

Eastern Screech Owl 4 - Megascops asio

Eastern Screech Owl 1

June 9th, 2004

McKennan Park, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Eastern Screech Owl 2

June 11th, 2006

Beaver Creek Nature Area, South Dakota

Eastern Screech Owl 3

June 11th, 2006

Beaver Creek Nature Area, South Dakota

Eastern Screech Owl 4

June 9th, 2004

McKennan Park, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Eastern Screech Owl 5 - Megascops asio

Eastern Screech Owl 6 - Megascops asio

Eastern Screech Owl 7 - Megascops asio

Eastern Screech Owl 8 - Megascops asio

Eastern Screech Owl 5

June 11th, 2006

Beaver Creek Nature Area, South Dakota

Eastern Screech Owl 6 (Young)

June 9th, 2004

McKennan Park, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Eastern Screech Owl 7

June 11th, 2006

Beaver Creek Nature Area, South Dakota

Eastern Screech Owl 8 (Young)

June 9th, 2004

McKennan Park, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Eastern Screech Owl 9 - Megascops asio

Eastern Screech Owl 10 - Megascops asio

Eastern Screech Owl 11 - Megascops asio

Eastern Screech Owl 12 - Megascops asio

Eastern Screech Owl 9

May 27th, 2007

Beaver Creek Nature Area, South Dakota

Eastern Screech Owl 10

May 27th, 2007

Beaver Creek Nature Area, South Dakota

Eastern Screech Owl 11

May 27th, 2007

Beaver Creek Nature Area, South Dakota

Eastern Screech Owl 12

July 20th, 2008

Beaver Creek Nature Area, South Dakota

Eastern Screech Owl 13 - Megascops asio

Eastern Screech Owl 14 - Megascops asio

Eastern Screech Owl 15 - Megascops asio

Eastern Screech Owl 16 - Megascops asio

Eastern Screech Owl 13

July 20th, 2008

Beaver Creek Nature Area, South Dakota

Eastern Screech Owl 14

September 3rd, 2007

Minnehaha County, South Dakota

Eastern Screech Owl 15

May 28th, 2010

Union Grove State Park, South Dakota

Eastern Screech Owl 16

May 8th, 2015

Beaver Creek Nature Area, South Dakota

Click here for the species description page for the Eastern Screech Owl

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