By Doug Becker

As one of the largest owls in the world, this bird is truly magnificent! He’s dressed in a stately gray tweedish suit with a white bowtie at the neck. His large facial disk has thin concentric circles and small piercing yellow eyes. Great Grays are the longest of all owls at up to 33 inches, and have a wingspan that can exceed 5 feet! They live and breed in the northern boreal forests of Alaska, Canada, and some northern reaches of the United States. Great Gray Owls are found in both the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. Populations of this great owl are also found in Scandinavia, Russia, Siberia, and Mongolia. They are non-migratory except when their food source is short and an irruption brings them further south. These beautiful and majestic owls are elusive and hard to find, but there are lots of serious birders who walk through deep snow with powerful scopes, binoculars, and cameras looking for an opportunity with the Great Gray Owl. It’s worth it!

Great Grays will nest near an opening in the forest, and do not build a nest of their own. After several weeks of examination, they will select an abandoned raptor’s nest, raven’s nest, squirrels nest, or a large cavity in a tree. If a nesting place is in a broken-topped tree, the female will scratch a depression for her eggs. Clumps of mistletoe or man-made platforms are also suitable for nesting sites. Nesting at the edge of a forest opening gives them a perfect survey spot for any moving mammal on the ground, under heavy vegetation, under the snow, and even underground.  Their annual clutch will be 2-5 eggs. Incubation period is 28-36 days, and nesting time is 26-29 days before the youngsters are ready to see the world.

Great Grays prey on mice, voles, chipmunks, moles, pocket gophers, lemmings, or any other scrambling critter that’s within striking range, which covers a large area. Although these great owls have more than excellent sight, it’s their hearing that’s their ultimate weapon. Great Grays have the most hearing receptors in their brains, and asymmetrical ear openings. One is higher and one is lower to help locate prey at night. They can also shape the feathers around their eyes to funnel sound to the ear. A little complicated, but it’s better than magic! A Great Gray Owl can hear a beetle running through grass 100 feet away, or a mouse squeak at over a half mile! Their method of attack is to silently fly to the sound, hover above, and dive straight down with full force, feet first. When prey is under deep snow, the impact  is powerful. One naturalist noted as he walked on the crust of the snow at 176 pounds, the Great Gray was able to penetrate that crust in a single dive to retrieve his prey! Cool!

Although the Great Gray is one of the largest owls, and devours seven or more vole-sized mammals each day, they are mostly a bunch of feathers. Both Snowy Owls and Great Horned Owls outweigh the Great Grays, and have larger feet and talons. Even though Great Grays are extremely powerful, irony being, they only weigh about 2.5 pounds! Go figure!

These wonderful and majestic owls are year-round residents of Alaska and Canada, but also reside in the northern regions of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and through northern New England. They also find home in the northern Rockies and down into the mountains of California. Point being, even though private and secretive, serious birders can find these giant owls within the lower 48. Check with area Audubon clubs where sightings have been made and gather your gear! I’ll see ya out there.