B1
THE ASTORIAN • SATuRdAy, JANuARy 22, 2022
CONTACT US
FOLLOW US
Lissa Brewer
lbrewer@dailyastorian.com
facebook.com/
DailyAstorian
Madeline Kalbach
Great horned owls usually perch fairly close to the tree trunk.
Birds of beauty
A guide to seeing owls on the peninsula
By MADELINE KALBACH
For Chinook Observer
P
acific County is home to 10
species of owls. The Long
Beach Peninsula has records
for eight species.
Peninsula owls are uncommon, but
they stay with us during the whole
year.
They are easiest to see in win-
ter than in other seasons because the
leaves of the deciduous trees have
fallen, making the task of searching
and observing them easier.
I love to see owls, so I have worked
hard at finding them. Here are a few
tips to help you find owls.
Many owls are diurnal, which
means they are chiefly active during
the daylight hours. Thus, a good time
to look for them is between the early
morning and dusk. I have had good
luck locating great horned and barred
owls during the daylight hours. They
were usually perched on a branch
close to the main trunk and about 10
to 15 feet up from the ground. I have
only seen them higher when they are
feeding owlets or sitting high in a tree
near their nest.
A tell-tale sign that an owl might be
in the vicinity is the behavior of song-
birds like the Steller’s jays and chick-
adees. When these songbirds hap-
pen upon an owl (or a hawk) perched
in a conifer or a bushy thicket they
become extremely noisy, so much so
that they attract other songbirds who
then come by to see what all the fuss
is about. Together, they mob the owl.
Owls tend to use the same roost.
Look for the presence of pellets and
you will have found such a roost.
Whitewash or poop on the trees or
shrubby thickets plus pellets litter-
ing the ground below are major clues
of a current location. The pellets are
shaped like a cigar and contain ani-
mal parts such as teeth, fur and bones.
Owls regurgitate these parts because
they are unable to digest them. If you
live among the big trees look for a
brownish rotund shape flying slowly
and silently by. It will likely be an owl.
A barred owl on the hunt during daylight hours.
Slowly driving the highways and
back roads is also a good way to find
owls. Some owls — like the snowy
owl — will hunt for mice and voles in
roadside ditches. Keep your eyes open
for an owl sitting on the ground or
perched on a fence post near the edge
of the road waiting for its next meal.
According to Dr. Wayne Lynch, in
some years owls “literally flood into
the forests and the prairies of south-
ern Canada and the northern United
States.” These invasions occur about
every three to five years and are driven
by a lack of rodents in the boreal for-
est or the Arctic.
On the peninsula, at least one
snowy owl is seen during an invasion
year. Leadbetter Point State Park and
the dunes of Long Beach have been
lucky enough to have one take up resi-
dence one winter a few years ago.
Birders are usually friendly and
happy to let other birders know where
they can locate a specific bird. Some
might even agree to take interested
people to the exact location. Birders
can report their findings to eBird, so
going online and visiting sites like the
Cornell Lab of Ornithology is also a
useful way to find the exact locations
of various species.
Owls are fascinating. Harry Pot-
ter and his magical friends thought so.
I hope you can locate an owl or two
when you are out and about. They are
mesmerizing and amazing. Happy
birding.