Yeah, I can see how a Barred Owl call would startle someone who has never heard them before. That first long “hoooo” when the owl is announcing their presence does sound like a big, loud ghost. I grew up with owls in my neighborhood, and whenever I heard the Bluejay police squawking up a storm, I knew a big owl was near. Beautiful birds, and adaptable, too. They didn’t need thousands of acres of old growth forest to survive. They grew big and fat in the middle of Montgomery eating the squirrels that ate our pecans.
Squirrels aren’t all they eat. Some in this area claim the barred owls are what keep the feral cat population low. There are even claims they take small dogs. Not sure I believe that, but my Dr. does. Once on my regular apt. he remarked my blood pressure was high, which wasn’t typical. I said I was worried about a four-mo/o puppy that had gone missing. He assured me a barred owl had eaten it. Not what I wanted to hear. Plus, I found the puppy—alive and VERY happy to see me—five days later.