It's been a remarkable autumn for owl watching in Forest Knolls. Over the past two months, residents have reported sightings of not one but three different owl species in and around the neighborhood — an unusual concentration that speaks to just how rich the urban wildlife habitat here has become.
The great horned owls, of course, are regular residents. The same pair has been calling from the eucalyptus along the upper streets for several years now. Their deep, resonant hooting on winter evenings has become as much a part of Forest Knolls as the fog.
Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) — The largest of the three, and the most reliably present. Identified by its ear tufts and deep hoot. Spotted most frequently along Crestmont Drive and the Sutro Forest edge. These owls hunt raccoons, skunks, and other birds — apex predators of the urban forest.
Barn Owl (Tyto alba) — Distinguished by its white heart-shaped face. A barn owl was reported in late October hunting the grassy edge of the Aldea campus, likely drawn by voles and mice in the open ground. Barn owls are silently efficient hunters — residents have described watching one fly past at close range and hearing nothing at all.
Western Screech-Owl (Megascops kennicottii) — The smallest of the group. Two separate sightings in November — one near the Glenhaven Lane staircase, one in a garden along Oak Park. Their call is a descending whinny rather than a hoot. If you're hearing it in your garden at night and can't place it, that's probably your culprit.
"The great horned owls have been here for years. But seeing a barn owl hunting the Aldea edge on a foggy evening — that was something I won't forget. Completely silent. Just this pale shape crossing the darkness."