Large Owls & Diurnal Birds of Prey
Results
During 2021—2023, we organized regular Roadside Raptor Surveys and we also collected incidental raptor observations. During spring and fall migration, we documented the presence of 15 species - the most common bird of prey within the project boundary was the Red-tailed hawk.
During nest searches, we walked over 55 km of transects, mapped 32 stick nests, and confirmed the breeding of Red-tailed hawks, Cooper’s hawks, Great Horned owls, and Long-eared owls. We observed young Swainson’s and Sharp-shinned hawks begging, as well as adults feeding recently fledged young, but we could not locate the nests. Over the years, the stick nests we monitored produced at least 37 young. To monitor survival, movements, and recruitment, whenever possible, we marked the young birds before fledging.
We also provided three artificial nests to replace natural stick nests used by horned owls that deteriorated, either during or after the breeding season. We also used existing horned owl nests to foster three orphaned owlets provided by rehabilitation centers.
Figure1. The total number of birds of prey observed at Genesee between 2022—2023. Numbers include both birds detected at the fixed survey sites and those observed when driving along the survey route.
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Figure2. The number of young birds of prey produced (numbers in the parenthesis represent young banded using standard leg bands issued by the Banding Office) at Genesee between 2022—2023.