Taken by Tiffany T.
At 8:17 PM -0400 3/7/06, Tiffany wrote:
I saw it on Sunday. It was first seen in mid February by a forester
here. He came to me asking about a large owl without 'ears'. I told him we have only one, Barred Owl. However, when he looked in my book he pointed to the Great Gray Owl. When I asked him about details he couldn't give me anything other than it looked gray and had a large head. He didn't have binoculars with him either. Needless to say, I needed to see this bird for myself.
I'm working here on JDI's [J.D. Irving's] Deersdale District on
Ruffed Grouse habitat selection as a Master's student at UNB. I was driving up the main road in the district (perpendicular to the 107 that goes through Juniper) when I spotted the bird on the power lines. The bird was approximatley 20 metres N of J rd. on the main road of the district. [All roads coming off of the main artery road in the district are named as letters in alphabetical order.] The habitat there was a spruce plantation. However, it was spending its time roadside where there are grasses covered in snow, and most likely subnivean small mammal tunnels.
I stopped the truck and my assistant and I watched the bird for at least 40 min through the binoculars. It was hunting during the daytime. It was about 10:30 am. It dove for prey around 10:50 am and was unsuccessful.
Tiffany later added:
The Main road [through the Deersdale district], to my knowledge,
does not have a name. It runs roughly north to south through the
district and is perpendicular to the 107. Deersdale has a saw mill and the entrance is a 15 to 20 minute drive east from Juniper on the 107. It is between Napadogan and Juniper.
I hope this is sufficient. The land is privately owned property and so I am unsure as to whether birders will be allowed access. One can only try. Good luck!
David Christie adds:
And, of course, if you do get access, be sure to drive and park
safely and do not approach the owl too closely. It's important that
these birds are able to obtain a good supply of food. The daytime
hunting that Tiffany observed may indicate that the small rodent
population there is low.