BARR LAKE STATE PARK - I’ve mentioned in previous articles that as winter sets in I enjoy making my way down to the flatlands for some raptor photography. 

While we certainly have quite a few raptors around all year, one of the main reasons why the colder months find me down the hill is Barr Lake State Park, an area well-known as a gathering place for bald eagles because of large swaths of open water from which to fish. 

It was just such a frigid winter day that had me out for eagles, and finding a wholly unexpected (and new to me in terms of sighting and photographing) encounter: a long-eared owl.

These owls are not considered rare here in Colorado. However, they can be difficult to spot. As opposed to many other types of owls, who enjoy lofty branches high in the trees or hollowed-out tree knots to call home, when alone these birds often prefer to nestle themselves in the cover of dense bushes for their daytime slumber. 

This individual had done just that, and I had walked past it by mere feet a few times before my eyes caught its hunkered-down shape deep in the thick tangle of branches.

Long-eared owls can be found in much of North America, from Canada to Mexico. They roost in woodlands as well as prairie trees, and while they do spend time in the forests, they tend to stay close to the edges as they hunt best over open ground. 

When it comes to roosting, they are one of the few in the owl family that live communally, gathering in numbers from two to 20 birds during the non-breeding season of fall through winter. There have even been reports of gatherings of up to 100 birds in one location.

These owls are not considered migratory birds as much as they seem to be nomadic, calling home wherever they find food. While some have been observed migrating in the typical southern direction for the winter, there have also been cases of some owls heading north. There also doesn’t yet appear to be a typical range when the birds do migrate, leaving this bit of lifestyle choice a mystery to avian enthusiasts

These raptors are currently considered a species of “least concern” in terms of endangerment, but bird counts throughout North America over the last few years seem to be finding them in decline. This is likely due to habitat loss as well as poisoning deaths. As rodents are their main prey, the passing of rodenticides from prey to hunter likely cause more untimely deaths than are actively observed.  

It has been said many times but bears repeating again here: we should never use poisons to eradicate rodents. Poisons do not typically break down in their victims, and thus can be carried over to multiple other predator species up the food chain. A poisoned mouse or vole can be caught and consumed by an owl (or any other larger predator) and thus poison the owl as well. Once the predator has died, carrion eaters can then consume the predator and become ill or die as well.

Long-eared owls are considered a bio-indicator, meaning that as a result of their food-driven nomadic life, if they are seen in an area, it can generally be considered a healthy habitat for most life–rodent prey notwithstanding. 

The vast grasslands surrounding the mighty cottonwood stand this beautiful bird called home likely provided quite a feast, providing a long day’s sleep as reward for a good night’s hunt. I only received one brief, stink-eye look, seen here, before it returned to its frigid yet apparently comfortable early-morning slumber.

Sources for this article came from https://www.hawkmountain.org/raptors/long-eared-owl#:~:text=Fun%20Facts&text=To%20camouflage%2C%20long%2Deared%20owls,and%20erect%20their%20ear%20tufts.&text=A%20male's%20hoot%20can%20be,kilometer%20away%20(0.7%20miles) and https://www.owlresearchinstitute.org/long-eared-owl. 

For additional information about James DeWalt Photography, check out https://jamesdewaltphotography.com.