Royal Saskatchewan Museum, U of R looking for help with ongoing owl research

The Royal Saskatchewan Museum and University of Regina are researching great horned owls in Saskatchewan, and the two organizations are hoping to get help from citizen scientists.

The groups are tracking the owls around the province, and already have a database of recorded sightings from 298 townships across Saskatchewan. In the southwestern parts of the province, researchers attached transmitters to 10 owls, which allow their movements to be tracked in real-time.

There are still some gaps in the research, however, particularly in western Saskatchewan between North Battleford and the Great Sand Hills, as well as northeast and south of Regina. The study will continue for another year, and any sighting reports will help give a better understanding of the movements and activities of owls.

“Our research is focused on understanding where owls have recently expanded their range in the agricultural region of the province and what features of the landscape have allowed them to be so successful,” Dr. Ryan Fisher, the Royal Saskatchewan Museum Curator of Vertebrate Zoology, said in a statement.

The University of Regina has developed a form to help citizens report any sightings of great horned owls, which can be accessed online.

“Owls are extremely sensitive to disturbance, so take great care when looking for them and try to keep as much distance as possible between you and the owl,” the ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport said in a statement.

The research has already yielded some interesting findings.

“Contrary to what they thought, the owls are spending a lot of time on the ground, but also making use of human structures like power poles and old buildings for their nightly hunting activities,” the ministry’s statement read.

“They also found these owls ranging as far as three kilometres from their nest to hunt.”