I recently made a short trip to see a Snowy Owl and while they live up to all the Internet hype, I was so surprised to see an Australian Boobook there and I got to hold it!
I had no idea it was going to be there and I felt like the only one to have known how exciting it was to be seeing an owl from the opposite side of the Earth! It was a public event at a park so it was mostly people with little kids, not mega owl nerds like myself.
Getting to see both of them in person moved them up a few marks.
I’ve also been really appreciating the Short Eared and Barns Owls as well. Barn Owls can be a challenge to appreciate with their more alien features, but they can either be a beautifully haunting forest spirit, or there are other Tyto owls like the Sooties that may help you get used to their looks.