Bring on the Breeding Season!

SEE THE ROOST VOL .23 2019

Our favorite and busiest time of the year, many of our projects are kicking into full gear right now: breeding ecology projects, nest-site characteristic studies, population monitoring, and more!

On the heels of a mild winter, will small mammals be plentiful and afford a productive breeding season? We sure hope so! Stay tuned for updates!

Northern Hawk Owl Paper Published

While our 22 year study on Northern Hawk Owls, primarily based in post-burned forests of Glacier National Park, concluded in 2015, the results of this research were recently published in the February 2019 Journal of Raptor Research.

This nest characteristic study remains one of our most challenging and rewarding projects to date. Working in the incredible landscape of Glacier National Park and interacting with these charismatic, feisty owls is something none of us will ever forget. We are proud to have made important contributions to what is understood about Northern Hawk Owls and its implications to snag conservation in forest management. The abstract and data table are published below; full manuscript available with journal subscription, or by contacting us.

Matt D. Larson, Jessica C. Larson, Denver W. Holt, Steve Gniadek and Adam Eckert, “The Northern Hawk Owl in Montana: A Summary of Breeding Biology, Diet, Habitat Association, and Records (1994– 2015),” Journal of Raptor Research 53(1), (25 February 2019).

THE 2019 SNOWY OWL PROJECT

This is the 29th year of the Owl Research Institute's Snowy Owl Project - officially the Snowy Owl Breeding Ecology and Lemming Population Study. The study operates annually at our 100 sq-mile study site near Utqiagivk, Alaska and runs from June 1 - September 1. Learn more about the project through the video below, produced by long-time photographer and friend of ORI, Daniel J. Cox.

Additionally, we are thrilled to bring you - for only the second time in history - a Snowy Owl live cam! Now you can watch - in real-time, live from our study site as a pair of wild Snowy Owls nest and raise young. This is a rare and special opportunity made possible by our friends at explore.org. Check out highlights from the 2091 breeding season here and watch for the 2020 Snowy Owl cam in June.

You can also learn more about ORI's Snowy Owl Project here:

ORI IN SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE

ORI IN NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

OUR MISSION FOR OWLS

Research

ORI RESEARCH

Conservation

ORI PROJECTS

Education

ORI OUTREACH

Conduct long-term research to understand species’ needs, vulnerabilities, and population trends. Long-term species monitoring is critical to understanding an ever changing planet. As a result, we have many, species-specific projects underway.

Supply partners, such as federal and state agencies, private conservation groups, and land owners, information to promote meaningful habitat management. Additionally, we distribute owl population data through scientific publications across the world.

Actively engage and educate a global audience through Live cams, Q & A’s, lectures, social media, TV, articles, and field tours. When people learn about, and connect with, owls, they are more likely to become conservation minded citizens.

LEARN MORE ABOUT ORI

STAY CONNECTED WITH ORI

RESEARCH PROJECTS THAT NEED YOUR SUPPORT

Thanks to you, the Owl Research Institute maintains long-term research on 10 owl species in Montana and Alaska. Our research is a critical step in understanding how to effectively preserve a future for owls. Featured here are some of our priority projects for 2020 still in need of funding. Choose a project to support or make a general donation that will be applied where it is needed the most.