Owls are often charming, at times haunting, and always beautiful, but they can be hard to find and even harder to photograph. That's why we like the photos below so much.

We found each one in our online photo galleries. Click on the photographer’s name to see more of his or her photos.

Won't you please share your photos of owls (and other birds) with us? To do so, you must be registered on www.BirdWatchingDaily.com and have a valid screen name. Register here. After you have registered, choose the gallery in which you want your image to appear. Then click “Upload Image.”

Visit our photo galleries.

This is our eighth “Friday Photos” post. Earlier we showcased photos of hawks, white birds, super close-ups, birds of Brazil, hummingbirds, orioles, and tanagers. If you have a suggestion for a future “Friday Photos” theme, please leave a comment.

See our readers’ favorite places to watch owls.

See the contents of our August 2011 issue

Short-eared Owl: The Owl Man took this gorgeous photo at the Nanaimo River Estuary on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Look close: You can see a pellet. (It's on the log just below the middle of the bird.)

Northern Saw-whet Owl: newfoundlander61 was visiting the Owl Woods on Amherst Island, Ontario, when he saw this bright-eyed saw-whet.

Eastern Screech Owl: Screech-owls blend in with their surroundings quite well. This one was photographed by Bill McMullen at Mud Lake, Ottawa, Ontario.

Burrowing Owl: MiaM photographed this wing-flapping Burrowing Owl as it tried to balance on a branch in Antelope Island State Park in Utah.

Barred Owl: This big boy was ready to dine on a little garter snake. Ted Busby snapped the shot at Amherst Island, Ontario.

See more photos of owls.

Read about our readers’ favorite places to watch owls.

Submit your own photos to our online galleries.

View more photos of birds in our online galleries.

See the contents of our August 2011 issue.

Previous Friday Photo selections:

Five tanagers. See Scarlet, Western, Summer, Hepatic, and stunning Flame-colored.

Beautiful orioles. See Bullock’s, Baltimore, Hooded, Orchard, and Scott’s.

Hummingbird favorites. See Black-chinned, Ruby-throated, Calliope, Broad-tailed, and Rufous.

Birds of Brazil. See Silver-beaked Tanager, Harpy Eagle, Blue Dacnis, Chaco Chachalaca, and White Monjita.

Super close-ups. See Golden Eagle, Blue Jay, Great Egret, Green-winged Teal, and Northern Saw-whet Owl.

Ghost birds. See Red-tailed Hawk, Northern Mockingbird, Spotted Sandpiper, Wood Duck, and Dark-eyed Junco.

Hawks. See Red-shouldered, Harris’s, Ferruginous, Swainson’s, and Cooper’s.

Submit your photos to our online galleries.

We occasionally choose our Friday Photos subjects by polls conducted on Facebook. Why don’t you join the fun?

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