Night Callers

Sharon Hardee knows her owls, especially the great horned, screech and barn owls that inhabit Wildwood Regional Park in Thousand Oaks. Occasionally, she even gets on speaking terms with them.

During the sunset and evening hikes she leads in the park as part of her work as an outdoor naturalist for the Conejo Valley’s recreation district, she says, “I try to call in the owls. Sometimes it works.”

On the special version of the hike offered each month for kids 8 and older, she reports, “I also try to get kids to do it [the owl calls]. Some get to be pretty good at it.”

The May version of this particular two-hour event will begin promptly at 6:30 Friday evening. “That’s because we like to start 45 minutes before sunset and then do part of the hike in the dark,” she explains.

Reservations are mandatory, she said, because groups of more than 15 can become too noisy. Also, only by making a reservation can you learn exactly where in the park the hiking group will be meeting. When there are more reservations than 15, Hardee organizes hikes on other nights.

There’s a lot of local interest in owls, Hardee said, which seems to come from “people observing owls on their street and in the palm trees of their yard” and wanting to know more about them. Local school and scout groups frequently contact Hardee at the park district to arrange special versions of her owl hike.

Wildwood Park is home to the horned, screech and barn breed. Hardee begins her program with a question-and-answer session about these, using taxidermy specimens--stuffed owls that is--plus owl pellets, owl wings and owl feathers.

“Then we hike a big loop around the [park] mesa, depending on previous sightings, weather and my mood,” she said.

This quip doesn’t mean she’s a prima donna. It’s a reference to her sense of where the creatures might make themselves visible on a given night. It’s chancy.

“Sometimes we see them on the way back, sometimes on the way out,” Hardee said. “With owls, there’s always a possibility of disappointment.”

But Hardee runs her show in such an interesting manner that it’s worth attending whatever the outcome. For kids, it can be something of an adventure even without the owl aspect.

“Some kids have never been on a night hike. We don’t use flashlights. People bring them for safety, but we only switch them on at certain parts of the trail,” she said.

Parents should consider whether their child will be comfortable in such a situation. In any case, kids under 16 aren’t allowed to attend without a parent in tow.

Kids’ attention spans are also an issue. “We have to make sure they keep looking. They can miss the owls. Everybody has to be real still at times and just listen for the owls,” she said. “I show them how to ‘extend’ their ears by cupping their hands behind their ears. Kids are amazed how well it works.”

During the sunset portion of the hike, Hardee has visitors use her “spotting scope,” a tripod-mounted telescope for looking at nesting or resting owls. She also offers advice on how to owl-spot on your own, at home. Her favorite book on the topic is “How to Spot an Owl,” by Patricia and Clay Sutton.

The main challenge in all this, Hardee says, is the business of watching a darkened, albeit starlit, sky waiting for owls to fly by.

“It’s not,” she said with a wry smile, “like they’re wearing headlights.”

BE THERE

“All About Owls--For Kids 8 and Up,” evening hike, Friday, 6:30-8:30 p.m., $3 per person, Wildwood Regional Park, Thousand Oaks. Kids under 16 must be accompanied by an adult; preregistration required. (Another hike date will be organized for overflow registrants.) Call (805) 495-2163 for reservations and exact meeting place.