Great gray owls attract photographers and birders from all over

A lone great gray owl made its second try at harvesting a vole only failing to collect its supper; it would try a third time before disappearing into the thick aspen grove. The deep packed snow created by snow plows clearing the road had made the snow too hard for it to successfully collect its meal. It may have been disappointed, but it had put on quite a show for a group of photographers known as the “Hooters Club” by disgruntled area residents.

Each winter, great grays migrate from Island Park and the Big Hole Mountains, southeast of Rexburg, to river bottoms of southeastern Idaho. The river bottoms of the Henrys Fork of the Snake River, the Teton River and the South Fork of the Snake River are covered with mature cottonwoods, quaking aspen and thickets. These are broken up with meadows and agricultural fields which are loaded with voles, field mice and other small mammals which are the favorite food for these owls.

These owls are equipped to harvest small ground mammals in up to three feet of snow, but once the snow get deeper, they are forced to migrate. With snow piling deep in the area mountains where they spend the summer, the river bottoms are a perfect place for them to spend the winter.

They have asymmetrical hearing due to one of their ears being higher on their head than the other one. The tiny differences in time for sound to travel to each ear, allows the owl to pinpoint the exact location of a rodent. The large feather discs around their eyes, called “ruffs,” funnels the sound to their ears, pinpointing the exact location a hundred feet away and under two feet of snow. Research reports that these owls are successful in harvesting prey 60 per cent of their attempts.

Another advantage great grays have is their almost silent flight. Their feathers have a soft, velvety texture to them that will absorb sound while they are in flight. Their wing feathers have a comb-like serration on the leading edge of their flight feathers that break up the turbulent air as it passes over the wings, acting as a silencer. It is believed that this also allows the owl to hear better and to adjust their attack midflight.

Last week I hiked into an area where three great grays have been spending the winter and watched one owl harvest three voles in three tries in snow about 14 inches deep. One capture was within 12 feet of me while I was sitting at the base of a cottonwood. In December, I observed one owl harvest six voles in eight inches of snow while photographing from my truck.

While hunting, they will perch on a tree, fence post or a power pole. After they have zeroed in on a prey, they leave their perch with two or three powerful wing beats before they go into a slow glide until they are directly over their prey where they go into their “snow plunge” dive. In the dive they close their secondary opaque eyelids and shift both feet to the side of their head as they enter the snow. They will then grasp the rodent with both powerful feet equipped with very sharp talons, squeezing it until it is dispatched.

Once the prey is dead, the owl will grab the meal with its bill and swallow it whole or will fly to a perch before swallowing it headfirst. Within minutes, the owl will be ready for another victim to harvest. Each owl needs to harvest about seven small rodents each day to sustain it during the cold winter months.

With the heavy snows in the area mountains this winter, more great grays have been forced down to the local river bottoms. I believe that there have been about 11 of these “Phantoms of the North” that are near St. Anthony, Teton Valley, Rigby, Ririe and Rexburg. The Audubon Society lists the great gray owls as a sensitive specie and recommends that we do not reveal their exact locations.

A lot of photographers and birders from all over the United States, have been drawn to the area from pictures posted on social networks. Photographers claiming to be from National Geographic have come as well as people who claim to have only the great grays to complete their observation life list.

Many people are drawn to owls for different reasons. A woman from Seattle, Washington, told me that “In 2022, I saw eight types of owls and the great gray was top of my list to experience and photograph. Owls have been a key messenger for me and as some would call a ‘spiritual guide.’”

If you find one, please allow them space to hunt and harvest their needed meals. Some of the owls are very close to roads and I like to photograph them from my vehicle to keep from pushing them away from their hunting area. Several of them are becoming skittish and fly away when observers get out of their vehicles especially in large groups.

Have a great experience in the great outdoors and be safe in all your activities.