07/15/2026
🦉 Nature Spotlight: Barred Owls ✨
We are so lucky to share our forest with a family of Barred Owls!
Meet Betty and Bernard, the names we've given our resident adult owls. (We're still trying to figure out which one is mom and which one is dad! 😂)
This year they've been busy raising a family of owlets, and it's been so much fun watching the little ones grow. Every time we spot one out on the trails, it reminds us that we're sharing this space with some pretty incredible neighbors.
As we've gotten to know them, our team has spent a lot of time learning about barred owls so we can do our part to make sure we're being good neighbors too. Along the way, we found a few facts we thought were too cool not to share.
🦉 They're homebodies.
Barred owls don't migrate. They often stay in the same territory for most or even all of their lives. That means, with a little luck, we'll get to watch Betty, Bernard, and their family grow alongside Sugar Works for years to come.
🤎 They're loyal partners.
Barred owls usually pair up for life and stay together year-round, protecting the same territory and often using the same nesting area for several years.
🫣 They're experts at staying hidden.
Their feathers let them fly almost silently, making them amazing hunters and surprisingly hard to spot. It's turned every walk through the woods into a fun game of "Where's the owl?" for our team.
🎶 They have one of the most recognizable calls in the forest.
If you've ever heard someone calling, "Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all?" from the trees, you've probably heard a barred owl!
We're grateful to share our forest with Betty, Bernard, and their growing family. Seeing them thrive is a reminder of why taking care of our forests is so important not just for us, but for the wildlife that calls them home.