Homeowners, enthusiasts lend insight into who’s on the (pr)owl in neighborhood
Most people have heard them. Very few have seen them. For the last two years, two families of white barn owls have been cohabitating with the residents of Del Monte Avenue near Sunset Cliffs Boulevard and also on Cape May Avenue near Bacon Street in Ocean Beach. Within the hour after the sun sets on both streets — which are several blocks apart from one another — residents there have been listening to the high-pitched screech of the owls. The birds’ screeches last mostly throughout the night, ending before dusk. Even though owls are generally nocturnal, it is not uncommon to see this species emerge at dusk or start activity at dawn, according to bird experts. Rarely have these owls be seen in flight during daylight, however. Their noiseless flight alternates between wing beats and smooth gliding. Dan Nichols, who lives on Del Monte Avenue, has been following the owls’ daily activities for a little over a year. His house is right under one of the palm trees the owls roost in. “They use the old tree to stake out the ‘hood’, looking for potential food,” said Nichols. Nichols said he hears two noises at night: a screech and a clicking chirp, which he believes “could most likely be echo location.” Encyclopedia research shows the owls use four different tones. They call out infrequently, usually with a drawn-out rasping screech. The male courtship call is a shrill, repetitive twittering. Upon returning to the nest, adults may give out a low, frog-like croak. And when surprised in its roosting hollow, the owl makes hissing and rasping noises, along with bill-snapping sounds made by the clicking of its tongue. “Those nests [hollows] weaken the palm trees. Last winter, with the heavy rains, the storms blew the soaked wet, heavy bark off the palm trees, almost totaling the cars parked under them and breaking windshields,” Nichols said. Since then, the owls have found new homes — but not far away. “They just moved across the street to one of their other ‘prepared’ palm trees,” laughed Cindy Sullivan, Nichols’ neighbor. Sullivan said she loves “her” owls. “They are so beautiful,” she said. Sullivan has her own theory as to where the owls came from a year and a half ago before taking up residence in Ocean Beach. “I think somebody was breeding them around here and a captive pair escaped,” Sullivan said. “I don’t even think these owls normally live in California.” According to amateur owl/bird enthusiast Mark Stratton of North Park, the white barn owl is virtually found in all habitats. But he said barn owls are more abundant in open woodlands since such habitats are more widespread. They can be found on every continent and even large islands like Hawaii, where they were introduced in 1958. Some residents of Ocean Beach have expressed worry about their small dogs and cats, since the owls have been seen attacking some of the pets. This is where Stratton would like to set the record straight for Ocean Beach residents. “Those stories about dogs and cats being picked up by owls are old wives’ tales,” said Stratton. “An owl is not able to pick up a cat or a small dog, unless it is a kitten or the absolute smallest of dog breeds. An owl can only lift about half its body weight and they surprisingly only weigh around one to 1 1/4 pounds. Most likely, the owls were just protective of their nests or brood.” Barn owls specialize in hunting small ground mammals and rodents. Bats, frogs, lizards, birds and insects are also on their food list. Areas overrun with rodents cause barn owl numbers to increase dramatically, according to experts. Depending on the food supply and in direct correlation with mouse overpopulation, the barn owls will breed any time during the year, sometimes twice. Barn owls are short-lived birds, however. Most of the birds die in the first year of life, with an average life expectancy of one to two years in the wild, experts say. On average, three to six eggs are laid. Once hatched, brooded and fledged, young birds quickly disperse from the nest area to build a new family. Young owls are able to breed at about 10 months of age. Neighbors like Nichols and Sullivan said that welcoming Ocean Beach’s feathery friends to the neighborhood will help control the community’s rodent population inexpensively.