The only sounds were the bugling elk off in the distance
Each year in October, Wild Boyz Photography highlights the weird and wild side of nature. Last year, I was fortunate to have made it to Olympic National Park in Northwest Washington. This is a large National Park, with ~922,651 acres to explore. This park is made up of three ecosystems, rugged coastline, glaciated mountains, and temperate rainforests, which is where I came across this rare northern spotted owl.
I was out hiking the Kestner Homestead Trailhead (Quinault) in June when out of the corner of my eye I saw this northern spotted owl dive to the ground. It had caught a small rodent. I was fortunate to already have my camera out and on the tripod with my zoom lens attached.
The owl was only 20 feet away from me, so I stood still and took photos for about 5 minutes before it decided to fly back up into a nearby tree. The rainforest is thick and there are lots of vines and moss to obscure things. Fortunately, I saw where it landed and made my way to a clear line of sight. I was alone on this trail, and the only sounds were the bugling elk off in the distance. Because of this, I was able to observe the owl for around an hour.
I was lucky to see the northern spotted owl hunting during the day
This species of owl lives in the old growth forests of the Pacific Northwest. It can be found from Northern California to Southernmost Canada. This species is not a common sighting for a few reasons. The IUCN Red List categorizes these owls as “Near Threatened”. Additionally, they are nocturnal. I was lucky to see the northern spotted owl hunting during the day. At the last estimates, there were ~500 pairs of northern spotted owls in Washington, ~560 pairs in California, and ~1,200 pairs in Oregon.
Small mammals make up most of the northern spotted owl diet. They also prey upon birds and some insects. The primary prey species for these owls are northern flying squirrels. They also target deer mice, gophers, and voles. There has been a recent invasion of barred owls (native to the Eastern United States) in the northern spotted owl range. Since the barred owls have a similar diet, they are now a threat to the food security of the northern spotted owls.
Once northern spotted owls reach three years old, they begin to breed. The females will lay two to three eggs in the spring. It takes roughly a month of the female incubating the eggs before they hatch. It takes around another month for the hatchlings to fledge. Come late summer to early fall, the young owls leave the nest to create their own feeding range. Northern spotted owls will generally not move far from their home territory, unless heavy snow covers their hunting area.
Did you know?
- Northern spotted owls nest inside holes in trees or on platforms in large trees.
- Northern spotted owls are typically sixteen to nineteen inches in length.
- Unlike most owls that have yellow or orange colored eyes, the eyes of the northern spotted owl are black.
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