It’s the Season for Owl Watching in Your Local Park

There’s a primo Southeast spot to see great horned owls.

Owl Watching - BOP BOP (Whitney McPhie)
By Lin Lin Hutchinson

There’s nothing like a walk in the woods to calm the nerves. But here’s how to really make it therapeutic: Go right at dusk and look for owls. You can do it in many parks in the Portland area, says Tara Lemezis, assistant director of adult learning and engagement at the Bird Alliance of Oregon (formerly Audubon Portland). “The habitat is great for great horned owls. The large coniferous trees are great for nesting.”

Now, experienced birders tell WW it’s poor form to reveal exactly where these magnificent creatures like to hang out, but we’re told it’s kosher to reveal this: a longtime great horned owl couple has called a certain prominent Southeast Portland park home for years. Every spring, they lay a new clutch of eggs. This year, three juveniles can be easily spotted swooping among the Douglas fir. It’s a transcendent experience. “Folks get obsessed,” Lemezis says.

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