Forest Birds - Barred Owl - Cape Breton Highlands

What? Owl abundance is being monitored in the Acadian land regions of Cape Breton Highlands National Park to determine if occupancy rates are changing or have changed historically. When? Monitoring frequency occurs annually in the spring of each year for the survey routes in Cape Breton Highlands National Park. Surveys must be completed by early June in the Highlands and are scheduled as close as possible to the full moon in that quarter. Nocturnal surveys are completed on a night when winds are calm and there is no precipitation. How? Field surveys are completed using an automated audio call back player with boreal and barred owl calls, and incorporated timed listening periods. Survey routes consist of 10 evenly spaced stops approximately 1.6 kilometers apart along the route. Owl species heard and seen during each interval at each stop on the route are recorded. Why? Bird populations are useful indicators of forest health, and owl populations (more specifically Barred Owl (Strix varia) populations) are being used in Cape Breton Highlands National Park as a primary indicator of tolerant hardwood forest health.

Publisher

Parks Canada

Resources

3

Catalogue metadata updated

2024-12-09