Night Owl. . . . . . . . morning owl.

I've heard the Great Horned Owl calling from one of the tall

oak trees outside our windows.

Hardly a song, more a muffled low baritone HOO.

Owls usually vocalize at dusk and then again at dawn.

The low sounding hoot, mixed in with the chirpy cacophony of

 songbirds early in the morning, means being awakened from

 sleep, especially when the windows are open. . . . . . . but it's such a

 beautiful musical start to a spring day.

With the HVAC project completed, meaning early rising not as necessary,

just listening to the morning songs has been pleasant.

We feel we had the best workmen ever in our home for this huge job.

No complaints at all and we will recommend them highly to others.

This owl I photographed on a visit to a bird sanctuary in England a few years ago.

Magnificent to say the least!

Great Horned Owl : Bubo virginianus

Largest owl in the Carolinas
Carnivore : small mammals, birds, snakes, insects
Non-migrator

Average lifespan in the wild 5-15 years
Size: Body 18-25 inches : Wingspan 3.3 to 4.8 feet

Weight : 2.2 - 5 pounds
Does not build a nest, takes over nests of crows, Great Blue Heron,
 hawks, or uses a tree cavity
Winter nester, one brood per year : 2 white eggs, laid in December/January
Silent in flight due to ragged ends on wing feathers

Owls hooting in your neighborhood?
Only once have I actually seen one sitting in an oak outside my window
 It stayed there many hours - and perhaps helped rid our garden 
of annoying voles and moles gobbling the roots of many of the hostas etc.