In fact, this is the time of year baby owls hatch, arriving as cute balls of talkative down. Later in the spring and summer when we get loads of baby songbirds brought into our wildlife clinic, phone calls about baby owls typically are actually calls about the tiny screech owl.

One of only two "eared" owls in our region of the state, these little nocturnal mouse traps frequent the same wooded environs as the large great horned owl. Barred owls and barn owls are the other species of owl seen in the Piedmont. All owls have excellent hearing and fly silently, hunting primarily at night.

On an early spring night the eeriest, most spine-tingling call comes from the smallest owl in town, the Eastern screech owl. This is also when owls are most likely to engage in even more startling behavior: attacking passersby. Owl nests are full of their most precious possessions, their eggs or chicks, and if they detect a threat to their young they will defend them fiercely.

If you have questions or concerns about owls in your neighborhood call the Piedmont Wildlife Center at 572-9453. For information on children's camps throughout the year or our Spring Education Series, call 489-0900 or go to www.piedmontwildlifecenter.org.

(Bobby Schopler is president of the Board of Directors at the Piedmont Wildlife Center)