Whoooo goes there?

By SANDY LONG

Although owls are challenging to spot in the wild, folks around the region have had several opportunities lately to gain up-close glimpses of some owl species that inhabit Northeastern Pennsylvania. Live birds of prey were presented by two wildlife rehabilitators during educational talks in Bangor, PA and Narrowsburg, NY, recently.

In addition, Richard Koval, land protection specialist and naturalist with the North Branch Land Trust, presented a slide show earlier this week in Thornhurst, PA, devoted to spotting the seven owl species typically found in Northeast Pennsylvania. Those include great horned owls, barn owls, barred owls, Northern saw whet owls, short-eared owls, long-eared owls and Eastern screech owls.

Koval told his audience that locating owls is a matter of learning, looking and listening. He identified various habitats and the prey available in each, as well as which owls prefer which combinations.

The longtime naturalist encouraged watching out for owl sign such as regurgitated pellets of fur and bone, nests and nesting cavities in trees, as well as abandoned barns and silos. Listening to the sounds of owls calling at night, as well as for the agitated calls of other birds responding to the threat of owl presence, are other reliable measures for increasing the likelihood of an owl encounter.

Koval advocated for building owl nesting boxes and installing them at least 15 feet high in trees to help support owl populations. He noted that barn owls are a species of special concern in Pennsylvania and that the Pennsylvania Game Commission has been experiencing success with a nesting box program that they implemented.