A barred owl that has taken up residence at Duke Gardens for mating season has injured two visitors in separate encounters near the red Meyer Bridge in the Culberson Asiatic Arboretum, prompting staff to post warning signs around the area. One jogger was swooped and received medical care, while a family member was wounded after getting too close while watching the owl eat prey.
According to the Raleigh News & Observer, the jogger reported being swooped by the owl, and that encounter left the person needing medical attention. In the second incident, a family got too close while observing the owl eating its prey, and the encounter left one of them with a wound. Duke Gardens officials have since issued a warning after what the paper described as multiple encounters with the bird.
Signs Go Up Near the Meyer Bridge
In response, Duke Gardens installed signage in the areas where the owl has been spotted, advising visitors to stay alert, keep a safe distance, and walk rather than run. Officials also advised visitors to keep a wide berth from the owl, avoid the area during early morning and twilight hours, and watch the bird without approaching, touching, or interfering with it, per the same report.
Kavanah Anderson, director of learning at Duke Gardens, said the bird is a young male establishing his territory. He appears to have chosen the garden as the place to find a mate and raise owlets, Anderson said. She added that owls defend areas to protect themselves and their young, and that their defensive behavior — swooping down and striking with sharp talons — is what poses a risk to people who get too close.
Why Joggers Might Look Like Prey
Anderson offered one theory for why runners in particular seem to draw the owl's attention: it might mistake a running jogger for prey. That idea tracks with explanations offered elsewhere in North Carolina. Back in 2021, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission biologist Greg Batts told the same outlet that owl attacks commonly occur during nesting season from March to May, when the birds are protecting their young, but that young, inexperienced owls can also swoop in August and September. Batts said a bobbing ponytail on a runner can look like a mouse or a rat to a young owl still learning to hunt.
Duke Gardens is not the only local greenspace to deal with a swooping owl. A Chapel Hill neighborhood dealt with a young owl striking at joggers and pedestrians in low light back in 2023, with neighbors reporting the bird had hit at least nine passing heads. Raleigh Greenway users swapped similar stories on the social platform NextDoor in 2021, describing swoops near the Stannard Trail and Lead Mine Trail area. Farther afield, Audubon reported four cases of barred owls attacking joggers at Bush Pasture Park in Salem, Oregon, including one jogger who felt a scratch on the back of his head and lost his hat to the bird. Oregon wildlife biologists in that report expected the attacks to taper off once the roughly 60-day mating season ended, according to Audubon.
A Common Species, Protected by Federal Law
Barred owls are one of North America's most common owl species and thrive in forests and urban woodlands, including Duke University's campus. They hunt small mammals, amphibians, and other prey at night or in dim light, aided by wing feathers that break up air and allow for silent flight. The birds are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
Anderson described the owl's presence at Duke Gardens as a positive reflection of the garden's ecology, and said it gives visitors a chance to learn about a native animal that plays an important role in the local ecosystem. Visitors with questions can find Duke Gardens ambassadors at the Barnes Welcome Center, available year-round from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
