Understanding the Great Gray Owl – Ghosts of the Forest

Bob Moore Scholarship Recipient Arcata Leavitt will be presenting our January program at Hope Lutheran Church.

 Join us as Arcata Leavitt, the 2nd recipient of the Sacajawea Audubon Society Bob Moore Scholarship, informs us about the research she is conducting, and you are funding, so that we may know more about these secretive creatures. 

What is known about the elusive Great Gray Owl locally? They are known as the “Ghosts of the Forest” throughout their range here in the intermountain west and the boreal forests and wooded bogs of the far north. Though not our heaviest owl, Strix nebulosa is our largest owl, and many would say most impressive. Their enormous size and silence, combined with the glare from their piercing yellow eyes captivates the onlooker. Those lucky enough to encounter a Great Gray Owl are unlikely to ever forget. Their sheer size and distinctive eyes make them unlikely to be mistaken for their smaller dark-eyed cousins, the Barred and Spotted Owls (where their ranges overlap). Have you been lucky enough to see one of these forest ghosts? Come and share your ghost story. Arcata Leavitt is a master’s student in the Becker Lab at Montana State University studying Great Gray Owls (Strix nebulosa) in southwest Montana. Her research is part of a collaboration with Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks, the US Forest Service, and MSU to evaluate Great Gray Owl nesting habitat characteristics and investigate the efficacy of using bioacoustic monitoring to locate nests and evaluate productivity. This effort aims to provide wildlife managers with tools to target survey and conservation efforts and improve our understanding of this enigmatic species. 
This event is free and open to the public

About Our Speaker

Arcata Leavitt is a master’s student in the Becker Lab at Montana State University studying Great Gray Owls (Strix nebulosa) in southwest Montana. Her research is part of a collaboration with Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks, the US Forest Service, and MSU to evaluate Great Gray Owl nesting habitat characteristics and investigate the efficacy of using bioacoustic monitoring to locate nests and evaluate productivity. This effort aims to provide wildlife managers with tools to target survey and conservation efforts and improve our understanding of this enigmatic species. Arcata received her B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife Science from Oregon State University, and before coming to MSU she worked with songbirds, small mammals, and loons in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. 

For virtual attendance, please register at sacajaweaaudubon.org/program.

Attendees—whether in person or virtual—are encouraged to share their bird sightings at this and every monthly program.
SAS monthly programs are free and open to the public, featuring a special guest speaker the 2nd Monday of each month, September through May. For more information, contact Chris Nixon at  programs@sacajaweaaudubon.org.