|
Fun with Owls!
If you are interested in monitoring owls in Minnesota
or Wisconsin, or would like additional information, please contact
Julie O'Connor (MN) or Ryan Brady (WI). They will contact you
about the route, training materials, and datasheets used in the survey.
MN Volunteer Coordinator:
Julie O'Connor
218.348.2291
joconnor@hawkridge.org
WI Volunteer Coordinator:
Ryan Brady
715.685.2933
ryan.brady@wisconsin.gov
Project Coordinator:
Dave Grosshuesch
218.525.7253
dgross@hawkridge.org
Owl Calls
Common Species
Great Horned Owl
Barred Owl
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Uncommon Species
Long-eared Owl
Short-eared Owl
Great Gray Owl
Boreal Owl
Eastern Screech-Owl
Northern Hawk Owl
Confusing Species
Wilson's (Common) Snipe
American Woodcock
Ruffed Grouse/Spruce Grouse |
Overview
Growing concern about changes in the
distribution, population status, and habitat loss for many species of
northern forest owls has lead several of Minnesota and Wisconsin’s natural
resource organizations to develop plans for an Owl Monitoring project.
Currently, populations of forest owls are poorly monitored by existing bird
surveys, such as the Breeding Bird Survey and Christmas Bird Counts. The Owl
Monitoring project will fill this gap with a new volunteer-based owl survey
to be conducted in early to late April each year.
|
Survey
Period |
|
April 1 - 15 |
|
--route is run ONCE during this
time period-- |
The Minnesota Frog & Toad
Calling Survey (MFTCS) and the Wisconsin Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) already
use routes located in the northern forest region. These routes will be used
for the Owl Monitoring project. Volunteers interested in owl conservation
are encouraged to participate in the Owl Monitoring project.
Methods
Volunteers will be asked to survey their
assigned route once during the survey period, after dark. The
survey period falls between
April 01 and April 15. Each route
will have 10 stations, spaced exactly 1 mile apart. A five-minute “passive”
listening period for calling owls will be done at each station (no playbacks
will be used). Given the number of stations (10/route) and the
five-minute
listening period, each route surveyed should take less than 2.0 hours to
complete.
Owl monitoring volunteers will be provided with the necessary training and
materials, including a CD of northern owl calls. Volunteers will be required
to become on-line certified prior to conducting a survey. Every owl species
detected will be recorded on a data sheet, including direction and estimated
distance to each owl. At each station the time, temperature, moon
visibility, cloud cover, precipitation level and type, wind speed, snow
cover and depth, and noise level will be recorded.
Forms & Instructions
You can open the following forms by clicking on the
links. After you have opened each file, you can either print it or
save it to your computer. You need Acrobat Reader to open these
documents (and the owl monitoring reports).
 |
