We had an unexpected visitor this week during the snowstorm. A long-eared owl was perched on our back deck and we were able to watch it through the Visitor Center window. It is pretty obvious why it is called a long-eared owl, with its long feathers on its forehead held erect. They are not actually ears, just feathers.

Long-eared owls are not rare on Seedskadee NWR, but they are not commonly seen either. Their nocturnal habits, along with their tendency to spend the days hidden in the cottonwoods and willows, make them a rare sighting indeed. We really don't know how many we have here because of this. They are known to communally roost in the winter where food (meadow voles and other small rodents) are abundant. A few documented cases have found almost 100 wintering long-eared owls roosting together at one location.

www.allaboutbirds.org/gu…/Long-eared_Owl/lifehistory