Eastern Screech Owl spotted at Dawson Feb. 19

Physical education teacher and photographer Doug Smyth spotted an Eastern Screech Owl at Dawson on Monday, Feb. 19.

“This is the second time a screech owl has been seen on campus,” said Brian Mader, project lead for the 1,000 Species in 1,000 Days initiative and a biology teacher. “One was spotted mid-April last year by the Living Campus office and photographed by Environmental Science students during their physics class.”

Doug reported that “the Screech Owl was pursuing his quite normal behaviour of roosting in a tree cavity safe from predators and soaking up the rays of the sun for warmth on a cold winter’s day.

If you see the owl, be respectful and do not get too close, Doug said, adding: “All species of owls can be disturbed if too often observed so proceed with caution. That means quiet, limit the length of your observation and avoid congregating in a large group.”

Doug says it is the first good photo of the bird on campus. “I also know he visited last fall as well when it started to get colder,” Doug said. “Winter can be the best time to spot owls as many species that we can see in the Montreal area have migrated south from the boreal forest for the warmer climate and especially for new food sources not available to them up north.”

“Another great advantage of finding owls at this time of year is the fact that trees have no leaves hence they are easier to find. As well many owls are early nesters, for example, Great Horned Owls breed in early winter, mid-February to March, and Screech Owls usually breed in March. The bird on campus is most likely a male identifying a territory in the hopes that a female owl joins him shortly or he might just be migrating through.  As in the raptor world, you can identify gender mostly through size with the females being comparatively larger.”

Here are the 1,000 Species in 1,000 Days updated numbers:

• 827 species!!
• 3,926 observations
• 278 observers

Photos by Doug Smyth