Owl Calling

Creation for Kids in Church Camps

Only try this activity with a group that you are confident can stay quiet while moving in the woods. Be sure to do a little scouting around your campsite on your own before taking campers out looking for owls.

Introduce owl calls in an area away from where you actually want to try to attract the birds, and ask the campers why birds sing. Just like warblers and thrushes sing during the day to mark territories, owls call at night to mark their nocturnal boundaries. Show the campers how to imitate a number of owl species. At Kirchenwald, I demonstrate the Screech Owl, the Great-horned Owl, and the Barred Owl; note that the species of choice will vary by the location of your camp. The Screech Owl is a simple tremolo wail and reminds one of a crazy witch off in the woods. The Great-horned Owl is an honest to goodness hoot, but males and females follow two different patterns. The male is an initial hoot, a pair of hoots, and two slower hoots at the end. The female begins with an opening hoot, then continues with a triple hoot, and then two pairs of hoots. Make sure the campers make this noise from their diaphragms for the full effect. The Barred Owl is a slightly higher pitch hoot and seems to call out into the night, "Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all?" with the all trailing off.

Spread the campers out in a wooded area or field after assigning each one a different owl call. Instruct them to try to get as far away from other owls of the same species while staying within the given boundaries. Test their success by calling on each species to call at one time.

After the campers know a few owl songs, take them on an owl prowl around camp. Instruct them to keep their flashlights off and to stay as quiet as possible. You can provide red cellophane if you wish, which should prevent a light from disturbing the night animals. If you are successful in hearing an owl, stay quiet and intermittently call again. As the owl comes closer, prepare to try to look for it with a red cellophane flashlight. If the campers are not up for a night walk, I have also had success just laying in an adirondack shelter and calling owls. Campers are already quiet in this setting, so listening is easier for the campers