The Barred Owl (strix varia)

The Barred Owl or (strix varia) is a large North American owl that ranges from the west coast of the United States all the way to the swamps of Louisiana. These owls are residents of the Manchac Swamp and are a great sight to see on our kayak swamp tours. Unlike a lot of other owls, barred owls are a large social owl that are common to see during the daytime hours. We see them regularly on our kayak tours hunting lizards and mice and hanging out in small groups making vocal chattering sounds.

“shaking off the feathers”

If you are hoping to get some pictures of these beautiful owls on one of our kayak tours, we recommend booking our morning or afternoon trip when they are most active. While morning or afternoon is your best chance for a sighting, we will see them all day long as well. If you are a wildlife photographer wanting to get out for a half day and really work on getting some shots of these owls  you can check out our Swamp Landscape Photo Workshop.