Photo by: Joe Medley

  Great Gray Owls (Strix nebulosa) have a holarctic distribution and can be relatively abundant in parts of Canada or elsewhere in their range.  The population in California, however, is considered endangered due to the bird’s extremely low numbers in the state and multiple threats to the owl’s viability. The greater Yosemite region contains the state’s highest concentration of Great Gray Owls, but even in our region, many outdoor enthusiasts may never see one of the birds in a lifetime of wildlife encounters. 

  The reclusive owls generally choose a large diameter, broken-top conifer or a cavity in a large oak tree as a preferred location for their nest.  Most nest trees are found in conifer forest stands close to wet meadows in areas with minimal human disturbance.  Some breeding pairs and individual birds move up and down in elevation in response to seasonal weather variations, while other birds surprisingly winter in areas with snow cover and hunt through the snow – plunging with their talons to grasp prey completely hidden from view.   Deep snow in heavy snow years can hamper the owls’ use of higher elevation meadows, especially when dense snowpack hardens into “Sierra concrete” or if the snow is too deep for the owls to penetrate to grasp prey.