Written by Kennedy Zittel, Naturalist
Photo by Woodland Dunes’ Staff 2015
One of my favorite field trips to teach is Owling 101. Typically taught for early elementary ages in the fall, this field trip teaches kids all about owls of course! From the species that live here and how to identify them, all of their amazing adaptations, and even what (and how) they eat.
During the program, every child gets a nametag that has a picture of an owl on it and its name. Throughout the program we share facts about each of their owls so they can learn more about the owls of Wisconsin. One of my favorite parts though is teaching the kids about the noises that their owl makes. When you ask them “what noise does an owl make?” it is always met with a cheerful chorus of “hoo hoo hoo”! It is so fun seeing their surprised reaction to hearing that many owls do not actually hoot. “What, no way!”
But if not all owls hoot, what noises do they make?
Owls make a variety of different sounds, from hoots to coos, from whistles to barks, from shrieks to hisses, and more! Not only do different species of owls make different sounds from one another, but each specific species can make more than one sound too.
What about the owls around here? What do they sound like?
Great horned owls sound like what you would think an owl would sound like, calling out with a soft “hoo hooo hoo hoo”. Barred owls sing their famous “who cooks for you, who cooks for you all?” call. “But it isn’t really talking Ms. Kennedy!” (Fair enough). Eastern screech owls live up to their name, making all sorts of interesting sounds and even a call that sounds like a horse’s whinny. Northern saw-whet owls have a silly sound… “toot toot toot”! Which as you can imagine causes a lot of laughter amongst kids. The beautiful barn owl makes a scary hissing sound, like an angry cat. Snowy owls (not often heard calling when they visit Wisconsin) make a sound like they are laughing – usually sending the kids into a chorus of giggles “it’s laughing!”
It is so rewarding to see the children’s faces light up when their owl’s call is played, “that’s me!” as they all try to replicate the noise. Though playing their calls early in the program can often lead to a program filled with noisy owls! It is really sweet seeing them so excited about what they are learning about, and enjoying a beautiful fall day out in the woods is a great bonus too!