Ontario Nocturnal Owls Survey

Birds Canada
https://www.birdscanada.org

Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/

Project name: Ontario Owl Survey

Goals : The Ontario Nocturnal Owl Survey was initiated in 1995 by Birds Canada in partnership with the Wildlife Assessment Program of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. The primary goal of this survey is to monitor owl populations in Ontario to determine whether owls are being affected by logging practices. The four main target species are Great Grey Owl, Barred Owl, Boreal Owl and Northern Saw-whet Owl.

Dataset summary : The Ontario Nocturnal Owl Survey was initiated in 1995 by Birds Canada in partnership with the Wildlife Assessment Program of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. The primary goal of this survey is to monitor owl populations in Ontario to determine whether owls are being affected by logging practices. The four main target species are Great Grey Owl, Barred Owl, Boreal Owl and Northern Saw-whet Owl.

Year started : 1995

Years (comments) : Ongoing

Frequency : Annually

Geographic area covered : Central and Northern Ontario. For purposes of this survey, the 47 line of latitude is used as the boundary between these study areas. In general, the southern edge of the Canadian Shield defines the southern limit of the central Ontario study area.

Primary species covered : Primarily owls. The four main target species are Great Grey Owl, Barred Owl, Boreal Owl and Northern Saw-whet Owl.

Field methods : The procedure for this survey is similar to other roadside surveys using tape playback. A team of two volunteers drives a pre-determined route, stopping at fixed intervals along the roadside. At each stop, a cassette tape is played consisting of pre-recorded owl calls alternating with timed listening periods. The surveyor identifies and records all owls seen or heard during each listening period. Surveys begin one half hour after sunset during a single evening in April and take approximately 3 hours to complete (not including travel time to and from the survey route).