Took this picture while hiking through San Antonio Preserve. Mama Owl had two Owlets but only one reared its head up for this shot. Long-eared Owls are secretive, nocturnal, and superbly camouflaged. Although they are hard to find, a good way to find them is to listen at night in spring and summer for their long, low hoots. Also look along the ground for pellets (gray, roughly oval cylinders of regurgitated fur, feathers, and bone). If you find a large number of these, you may be under a roost tree. Long-eared Owl pellets are typically 2-3" long, while pellets of other owls found in the same situation are either larger or less elongated. The hoot of a male Long-eared Owl can sometimes be heard up to 0.7 miles away. Long-eared Owls swallow their prey whole and regurgitate the indigestible parts in pellets, usually one per day. The oldest Long-eared Owl on record was at least 12 years old. It was originally banded in New York and was later found in Ontario, Canada, in 1999.
