Our Great Gray Owl study is entering its sixth year. Similar to other species projects, we are conducting long-term monitoring of nest sites and surveying new areas. In conjunction to our base study, we are also interested in learning more about their nesting needs.

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How Do We Locate Great Gray Owl Nests?

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Our strategy for locating Great Gray Owl nests combines several methods during the core of the early breeding season, primarily in March when these owls are most likely to vocalize. We focus on surveying as many likely habitats as we can to maximize our chances of detecting owl activity.

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1. In-Person Surveys: We conduct field surveys where we listen for calls of the Great Gray Owl. If no calls are detected (which is typical), we perform a callback by broadcasting recorded territorial calls, aiming to elicit a response from owls within their territories.
    

2. Autonomous Recording Units (ARUs): These compact audio recorders, specifically designed for wildlife research, are set up to record throughout the night. Using advanced audio analysis tools, we process the recordings to flag likely Great Gray Owl vocalizations, which we then verify manually. This remote monitoring enables us to cover extensive ground with minimal disturbance. Learn more about the ARUs we use here: owlsenserecorders.com
    

3. Public Information: Sometimes we are notified about owl activity or an actual nest from members of the community.  If you know about a nest site or a pair and would like to share it with us, let us know!  Keep in mind that owl nests can be sensitive to disturbance, so please don’t publicly share it.
    

When potential nesting areas are identified by the methods above, we focus our efforts on systematic nest searches. Beginning in April, when females are incubating eggs and remain in the nest, we conduct thorough, on-foot surveys. Moving slowly along transects, we inspect every potential nesting structure, such as large snags and stick nests, that could be suitable for Great Gray Owls. Often the female in the nest is well hidden and we can only see a few feathers sticking out.  Occasionally, we are fortunate to hear a faint owl vocalization, which significantly improves our chances of finding an active nest.  

 

A special focus of our Great Gray project is to record the measurements of nest snags. Similar to cavity nesting owls, Great Gray Owls depend on specific site characteristics to nest. While obligate cavity nesters need the holes of woodpeckers, natural tree holes, or nest boxes, Great Grays rely on large, broken-topped trees, called snags, or the abandoned nests of other large birds. When the owl nests on the top of a broken snag, the bowl must be large enough to accommodate its massive size.

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In recording the measurements of these snags, we can a model to identify, and potentially manage for, these unique, dead trees. Snags are a critical component of forest ecosystems and provide homes for a myriad of species. Again and again, we find them removed from otherwise ideal Great Gray habitat. As a result, public education is a key focus of this project. 

 

As with all studies, sample sizes must be large enough for meaningful results, so we will continue to collect data for this special project. Do you know of a Great Gray nest? Please let us know. We are following up with as many leads as we can in order to grow our sample size. 

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Additionally, if you haven't checked out the Great Gray Owl Cam, you are in for a real treat. The Great Gray nest cam is made possible through our partnership with explore.org.

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Help fund our Great Gray and Snag Conservation project by making a donation.