JACKSON, Wyo. — An elusive great gray owl was spotted by Buckrail photographer Nick Sulzer on Sunday, March 30, outside the boundary of Grand Teton National Park.
Yellowstone National Park (YNP) wrote on its website that great grays are adapted to cold, northern climates, typically found in secluded coniferous forests throughout most of the year.
YNP wrote that this species of owl will claim abandoned hawk or eagle nests or tree stumps to raise their young. The male takes on most of the responsibility to feed the chicks, and will hunt in small meadows while the female guards the nest. Although the great gray owl has a massive 60-inch wingspan, a typical adult weighs only 2 to 3 pounds.
According to All About Birds, great gray owls perch on a tree branch or fence post while using a sit and wait hunting strategy. Great grays typically eat small rodents, including voles, mice, squirrels, pocket gophers, rabbits and even chipmunks and weasels. In the winter, they eat up to seven vole-sized small mammals every day.
All About Birds wrote that the owl uses its keen sense of hearing to pinpoint a rodent under the snow using a technique called “snow-plunging.” The great gray has asymmetrical ear openings to help find prey by sound alone; the left ear opening is higher on the head than the right ear opening, which enables precise directional hearing. Once the raptor locates rodent activity, it will swoop down, breaking through hard packed snow to grab prey with its sharp talons.
When attempting to watch a great gray owl, wildlife viewers should be as silent as possible and give the bird space to hunt. Use binoculars or a telephoto lens to view the owl from a respectful distance.
