Boreal Owl is one of the most secretive and little seen species in North America. These fairly small owls are highly nocturnal and rarely seen during the day. They inhabit fairly inaccessible terrain from the Rocky Mountains to across much of the boreal forest. Birds are most often detected in March, when their snipe-like winnowing songs can be heard. With patience, lucky observers can sometimes track one down and see it, but any sighting of a Boreal Owl is something worth treasuring.
At irregular intervals, birds across the boreal forest irrupt into southern Canada and the Upper Midwest and, rarely, the Northeastern US. Irruptions are caused by a crash in vole populations or, locally, when very deep snow or crust of ice forms over snow that makes it difficult for the owls to hunt. During those invasions, birds have shown up in unlikely locales including New York City's Central Park.
During the first weekend of February, I was fortunate to be leading a trip to Minnesota that coincided with one of these movements. We saw SEVEN Boreal Owls in a single day. Temperatures were bitterly cold, with wind chill values reaching 30 degrees below zero. This probably contributed to owls sitting in the open a bit more and hunting during daylight hours. This video shows something that I'd never seen before, a Boreal Owl actively hunting during the day.
Christopher Wood
eBird Project Leader
Cornell Lab of Ornithology