NEWS
GALLERY
FIELD NOTES
NEST BOX
PELLETS
LINKS
CONTACT
GUEST BOOK
As the first Barred Owl ever documented in Medford, Oregon, Eleanor, likely a juvenile, has caused quite a stir among local birders and nature photographers -- and it's likely she's had to go far afield in search of a mate.
She left once before, presumably to find a male owl (Barred or Northern Spotted), and to our delight reappeared two weeks later, albeit solo. Once Barred Owls find a mate, it's for life.
Our family and the Smiths next door first noticed Eleanor in the summer of 2007. This past December, on Clemmie's sixteenth birthday, I discovered Eleanor’s perch in the large deciduous tree in our front yard. She graces us with her presence all day, every day, snoozing in the same spot over the end of the Smiths’ driveway. She flies off for her nightly hunt just before dark.
We are documenting her evening flight times and other behaviors, and the John Muir School in Ashland is undertaking a study to dissect her pellets and learn exactly what a Rogue Valley Barred Owl in an urban setting eats.
What is the term for a group of owls? Click here
Photo by Elizabeth von Radics