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 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.
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
