HOW DID WORLD RECORD BREAKER GET HIS GREAT GRAY?

Noah Strycker came to the expert when he wanted to add Great Gray Owl to his year list as he was on his way to setting his global record for most birds seen in a calendar year.  Noah has topped 5000 species.  Here’s his blog about finding Great Gray Owls with co-author Peter Thiemann.

ANOTHER PLATFORM REPORT

Another area of public land where there are nest platforms for Great Gray Owls is the Klamath Marsh National Wildlife Refuge in northeastern Klamath County, OR.  Faye Weekley, the biologist there, tells me one of her several platforms is in use this year and has a Great Gray Owl nestling.  As with the western slope of the Cascades and the Klamath Basin, Klamath Marsh seems to have an abundance of small mammals this spring.

Altogether that makes eight platforms in use across the state that I know of.

For information on the new book on Great Gray Owls of California, Oregon and Washington, click here.

GREAT GRAY OWL NEIGHBORS

Here is a list of some of the many species we know share living space with Great Gray Owls in some portions of the owl’s range across California, Oregon and Washington State:

[* indicates evidence that this species can be prey for a Great Gray Owl]
BIRDS:
Canada Goose                                   Branta canadensis

Common Merganser                      Mergus merganser

California Quail

Mountain Quail*

Ruffed Grouse

Sooty Grouse

Dusky Grouse

Bald Eagle                                                            Haliaectus leucocephalus

Spotted Sandpiper                                          Actitis macularius
Wilson’s Snipe                                   Gallinago delicata

Spotted Owl                                                       Strix occidentalis

Boreal Owl                                                          Aegolius funereus

Northern Pygmy-Owl                     Glaudicium gnoma

North Saw-Whet Owl                     Aegolius acadius

Vaux’s Swift                                                       Chaetura vauxi

Lewis’s Woodpecker                      Melanerpes lewis

Williamson’s Sapsucker                 Sphyrapicus thyroideus

Red-naped Sapsucker                    Sphyrapicus nuchalis

White-headed Woodpecker       Picoides albolarvatus

Hairy Woodpecker                                          Picoides villosus

Black-backed Woodpecker                          Picoides arcticus
American Three-toed Woodpecker     Picoides dorsalis

Northern Flicker                                               Coalptes auratus

Pileated Woodpecker                    Dryocopus pileatus

Olive-sided Flycatcher                   Contopus cooperi

Western Wood-Pewee                 Contopus sordidulus

Willow Flycatcher                                             Empidonax traillii

Dusky Flycatcher                                              Empidona oberholseri

Cassin’s Vireo                                    Vireo cassinii

Clark’s Nutcracker                                           Nucrifraga columbiana

Gray Jay                                                               Perisoreus canadensis

Steller’s Jay                                                        Cyanocitta stelleri

Western Scrub-Jay                                          Aphelocoma californica

Common Raven                                                Corvus corax

Tree Swallow                                     Tachycibeta bicolor

Black-capped Chickadee                               Poecile atricapillus

Mountain Chickadee                      Poecile gambeli

Red-breasted Nuthatch                                Sitta canadensis

White-breasted Nuthatch                            Sitta carolinesis

Pygmy Nuthatch                                              Sitta pygmaea

House Wren                                                       Troglodytes aedon

Pacific Wren                                                       Troglodytes pacificus

Bewick’s Wren                                  Trhyomanes bewickii

Golden-crowned Kinglet                              Regulus satrapa

Ruby-crowned Kinglet                   Regulus calendula

Western Bluebird                                            Sialia mexicanus

Mountain Bluebird                                          Sialia curruccoides

Townsend’s Solitaire                      Myadestes townsendi

Hermit Thrush                                   Catharus guttatus

American Robin                                                Turdus migratorius

Nashville Warbler                                            Oreothlypis ruficapilla

Orange-crowned Warbler                            Oreothlypis celata

Yellow-rumped Warbler                               Setophaga coronata

Hermit Warbler                                 Setophaga occidentalis

Townsend’s Warbler                      Setophaga townsendii

MacGillivray’s Warbler                   Geothlypis tomiei

Green-tailed Towhee                    Pipilo chlorurus

Chipping Sparrow                                            Spizella passerina

Lincoln’s Sparrow                                             Melospiza lincolnii

Song Sparrow                                    Melospiza melodia

Fox Sparrow                                                       Passerella iliaca

Dark-eyed Junco*                                           Junco hyemalis

Western Tanager                                             Piranga ludoviciana

Cassin’s Finch                                    Carpodacus cassinii

Red Crossbill                                                      Loxia curvirostra

Pine Siskin                                                           Spinus pinus

Evening Grosbeak                                           Coccothraustes vespertinus

MAMMALS:

mountain lion

bobcat

fisher

marten

short-tailed weasel

raccoon

black bear

common gray fox

elk

mule deer

North American porcupine

Botta’s pocket gopher* Thomomys bottae

northern pocket gopher

western pocket gopher

Townsend’s chipmunk* Tamias townsendii
yellow pine chipmunk*

western pocket gopher*   Thomomys mazama

creeping vole*   Microtus oregoni

dusky-footed wood rat*   Neotoma fuscipes

Norway rat*   Rattus norvegicus

coast mole*   Scapanus orarius

shrew-mole*   Neurotrichus gibbsii

vagrant shrew*   Sorex vagrans

Trowbridge’s shrew* Sorex trowbridgii

fog shrew*   Sorex sonomae

Douglas’ squirrel*     Tamiasciurus douglasii

red squirrel*

northern flying squirrel*   Glaucomys sabrinus

western red-backed vole*   Clethrionomys californicus

montane vole*   Microtus montanus

long-tailed vole           Microtus longicaudus

Richardson’s vole

red-backed vole*

heather vole*

deer mouse*   Peromyscus maniculatus

golden-mantled ground squirrel*

 

*Known prey animal within the Pacific Slope states