Join photographer A.J. Berard as he searches for owls in his Montana hometown, and snag a few owling tricks to see birds of prey in your own backyard.
Go Owling With Owl Tracker A.J. Berard
On any given morning, you’ll find A.J. Berard trekking through the woods and mountains of Montana with a 45-pound pack and his Siberian huskies. He’s on the hunt but, unlike other wilderness enthusiasts at the crack of dawn, it’s not for game. He’s owling; meaning he’s tracking the owls that reside around his hiking loops in hopes of capturing the awe-inspiring owl photographs he is known for.
He wouldn’t consider himself a traditional birder—birds of prey have always intrigued him. “I’ve never really had to pull out the rig to look at a yellow-bellied warbler,” says A.J. “It’s not for me. But if it’s an eagle or something predatory, I would photograph that.” His daily photography sessions have even led him to form bonds with certain owls over the seasons. But that connection isn’t possible without locating them first.
Looking for Owls: The Search Begins
Finding an owl starts with sound. As A.J. hikes, he’s listening for any hoots or calls coming from high in the trees or at the edge of a clearing. He says, “When I’m out at 3:00 in the morning, just the dead of night, you hear so much more.”
It’s a matter of slowing down and keeping his eyes open once he has zoned in on an area. He gets a feel for where the owl’s territory lays and the bird’s general behavior.
As A.J. tracks new birds or finds old friends, he’s extremely cautious of the owl’s comfort, keeps a wide berth and only continues to approach if the owl isn’t showing signs of stress. This slow approach has a big payoff. He says, “Once you spend enough time with one owl in particular, they become semiaccustomed to you.”
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Building a Personal Connection With Owls
Eventually, A.J. says, the birds that get used to his presence actually use him to hunt. “One would land very close to me,” he says, “if not inches away on a tree branch, and use me as the distraction tool toward getting its food.”
So as voles and squirrels may emerge or become more vocal with A.J.’s presence, the owl can swoop right in for dinner. A few of the owls will land directly on him— though he jokes that he hasn’t captured that “golden” selfie on camera yet.
When asked if owls feel a connection toward him, A.J. says, “I’d like to hope so, but that’s above my pay grade.”
He cites a moving, somber moment with a pair of great gray owls. He had spent years visiting the couple and watched them go through mourning after they lost their chicks to a predator. The birds were far less active and would call out knowing that their chicks would not respond. But they also chose to perch close to A.J. He recognized their sadness and need for comfort—“You could just tell. They don’t want to be alone in that situation either.”
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Capturing a Once-in-a-Lifetime Photograph
A.J. documents his trips and the owls that he gets to know on his Instagram account, which boasts over 20,000 followers. But for A.J. the effort hasn’t been for recognition. It’s just the natural way of sharing what he loves with the owling community and other online naturalists. He says, “I’m not a poet, so describing what I saw is not my forte. But I’m happy to show and share through photography.”
The shot he’s most proud of happened largely by accident. He was out on one of his more common routes looking for a particular great gray owl, when he saw a different bird of prey half a meadow over. As he got closer, he realized from its size and shape that it was clearly a different great gray, but it was almost white compared to the other great gray owls in the area.
That’s when he realized it was a heavily leucistic great gray owl. After he confirmed with some owling friends, he posted the photo online. Since then, he has received thousands of inquiries from birders all over the world.
A.J. says of the sighting, “I’m out every single day, 365 days a year, and I will probably never see this again.”
Start Owling in Your Own Backyard
While A.J. appreciates rare and close encounters, he says that owling is really about winding down and taking it all in. To start your own owling journey, he suggests heading to a local or state park early in the morning or around dusk. No need for remote locations or fancy gear, he says. “Half the time you can just pay attention to the trees—there’s probably something watching you.”
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Responsible Owling
A.J. notes that the two most important rules of owling are to keep the exact location of birds quiet and to respect the bird’s space. Overcrowding can quickly become an issue that endangers the owl and makes it harder for other birders to enjoy nature.
Owl Photography Tips
A.J. shares his top tips for getting started behind the camera
- Go to YouTube. “You will learn so many tips and tricks. I learned from trial and error. If I could go back in time, I would have saved myself a lot of headaches.”
- Embrace your own style. “Photography is an art form. Everyone is going to do it different and that’s what’s unique about it.”
Next, discover the types of owls in North America.
