Owl in my backyard....

Yesterday morning, after my run, I went to the corner of my yard and did some stretches then I sat quietly and listened. It was still dark and I could hear lots of sounds - crickets, whippoorwhills (nightjar), Bobwhites (quail), and a lot of other birds but the one that surprised me the most was the hooting of an owl in the distance. This made me curious. It turns out that there are two common owls in South Carolina.

The Great Horned Owl:

and The Barred Owl:


I was excited b/c in all the years I've lived in South Carolina and lived out in the woods in Wagener, I don't recall ever hearing an owl so... hooray!!! :)