By Ken Porteous
If the late, great singer and songwriter, Roy Orbison, ever came back
as a bird, it would surely be the Great Gray Owl. For the Great Gray
emulates the "Big O" in every way, a loner with a deep, resonant
voice, imposing, mysterious and gentle. Everyone wanted to see Roy
at least once in their lives. The same can be said of the Great Gray.
I've been lucky. In 30 odd years of birding, I've seen this impressive owl about a dozen times and I can recall every one. On one occasion, while leading a school group on a guided hike in Birds Hill Provincial Park, we came into a small clearing and not 20 metres away, staring down at us, was a Great Gray Owl. From its perch in a small aspen tree, totally oblivious to us, it dramatically plunged head-first into the soft snow. On huge silent wings it returned to its perch and swallowed whole what I'm sure was a meadow vole. We were dumfounded!
The Great Gray, sometimes referred to as the Spectral Owl for its ghostlike appearance, is the largest owl in North America. The Great Gray's loose, fluffy feathering and long tail gives it the appearance of being heavier than it is, but, by comparison, the Great Horned and Snowy weigh more. Its wingspan is immense, reaching 1.5 metres. It's name refers to its overall impressive stature and gray feathering. Its round head, with no obvious ear tufts, a face with well-defined concentric rings around small, deep-set yellow eyes, a black chin spot with two broad white patches, which Roger Tory Peterson described as looking like a white moustache, makes the Great Gray unmistakeable.
Ken De Smet, one of the province's top birders and co-author of Manitoba Birds likens the Gray Gray's face to that of a "satellite dish." This facial design allows the Great Gray to detect and pin- point the tiniest sound. Even the rustle of a mouse or vole, the mainstay of the Gray's diet, burrowed under 40 cm of snow, can be detected.
The Great Gray nests within the boreal forest, using abandonded stick nests of hawks, ravens and crows. It lays 2 to 5 white rounded eggs; incubation lasts a month. There are usually several meadows nearby where the adults forage for food.The young are strong enough to leave the nest within 3 to 4 weeks and fly at about 8 weeks.
Manitoba Conservation ranks the Great Gray as "Apparently Secure," which is defined as widespread and abundant, but is of long-term concern. It is a permanent resident in the province except in the far north and southwest. Population estimates are in the range of 1500 - 3000 birds in Manitoba. The best places to see Great Grays are in the boreal forest areas of eastern Manitoba. Provincial Road 211 from PTH 11 to Pinawa is particularly good.
This photo of the Great Gray Owl perched on a spruce branch
was taken with a "digiscope" lens by Ann Cook of Winnipeg,
an avid birder and photographer.
The dramatic action photo of the Great Gray hunting
was taken on January 11, 2003, just north of Lac du Bonnet
on Hwy 11. photo courtesy of Lorne Heshka, Winnipeg, Manitoba.
They have also been spotted just north of the Gimli and Beaches Area
and have been observed in winter along the edge of PR 222, adjacent
to Camp Morton Provincial Park. I have seen them a number of times
at the southern end of Hecla Provincial Park, and again along the
forest edges of PTH 8 which traverses the park.
Winter is the best time to spot Great Grays, especially in years where abundant rodents in the boreal forest result in an "irruption" of Great Grays. Last winter and again this winter has been phenomenal for them in and near the boreal forest of south- eastern Manitoba. Curiously, even though they were abundant throughout the Southeast in the winter of 2004-2005, none were found nesting there the following summer. This, according to owl expert Dr. James Duncan, who has authored what some consider the definitive tome on owls of the world, aptly titled, Owls of the World.The province's foremost authority on the Great Gray, Dr. Robert Nero, played a large part in having the Great Gray selected as Manitoba's official bird emblem in 1987. In May of 1984, while conducting owl research, Dr. Nero rescued a starving runt that he named "Lady Grayl." She soon became a symbol for owl conservation and conservation in general and helped to raise thousands of dollars for owl research. She reached celebrity status and for over 21 years could be seen with Dr. Nero in schools and shopping malls across the province. So gentle and calm was her demeanour that she fooled many into thinking she was a stuffed mount until the startled observer was taken aback by the gentle swivel of her head. Sadly, this famous owl died of natural causes in October, 2005. The Lady Grayl Fund has been established in her honour under the Winnipeg Foundation with proceeds supporting conservation with priority given to owls and Manitoba-based projects. For more information call 204-944-9474.
Seeing a Great Gray is not unlike a music lover seeing The Beatles live, or a golf enthusiast watching Tiger Woods in person unleash one of his prodigious drives. It might be a once in a lifetime event, but it will be forever and indelibly branded into the memory of those fortunate enough to experience the "Phantom of the Northern Forest" (Nero) - the Great Gray Owl.
I've been lucky. In 30 odd years of birding, I've seen this impressive owl about a dozen times and I can recall every one. On one occasion, while leading a school group on a guided hike in Birds Hill Provincial Park, we came into a small clearing and not 20 metres away, staring down at us, was a Great Gray Owl. From its perch in a small aspen tree, totally oblivious to us, it dramatically plunged head-first into the soft snow. On huge silent wings it returned to its perch and swallowed whole what I'm sure was a meadow vole. We were dumfounded!
The Great Gray, sometimes referred to as the Spectral Owl for its ghostlike appearance, is the largest owl in North America. The Great Gray's loose, fluffy feathering and long tail gives it the appearance of being heavier than it is, but, by comparison, the Great Horned and Snowy weigh more. Its wingspan is immense, reaching 1.5 metres. It's name refers to its overall impressive stature and gray feathering. Its round head, with no obvious ear tufts, a face with well-defined concentric rings around small, deep-set yellow eyes, a black chin spot with two broad white patches, which Roger Tory Peterson described as looking like a white moustache, makes the Great Gray unmistakeable.
Ken De Smet, one of the province's top birders and co-author of Manitoba Birds likens the Gray Gray's face to that of a "satellite dish." This facial design allows the Great Gray to detect and pin- point the tiniest sound. Even the rustle of a mouse or vole, the mainstay of the Gray's diet, burrowed under 40 cm of snow, can be detected.
The Great Gray nests within the boreal forest, using abandonded stick nests of hawks, ravens and crows. It lays 2 to 5 white rounded eggs; incubation lasts a month. There are usually several meadows nearby where the adults forage for food.The young are strong enough to leave the nest within 3 to 4 weeks and fly at about 8 weeks.
Manitoba Conservation ranks the Great Gray as "Apparently Secure," which is defined as widespread and abundant, but is of long-term concern. It is a permanent resident in the province except in the far north and southwest. Population estimates are in the range of 1500 - 3000 birds in Manitoba. The best places to see Great Grays are in the boreal forest areas of eastern Manitoba. Provincial Road 211 from PTH 11 to Pinawa is particularly good.
This photo of the Great Gray Owl perched on a spruce branch
was taken with a "digiscope" lens by Ann Cook of Winnipeg,
an avid birder and photographer.
The dramatic action photo of the Great Gray hunting
was taken on January 11, 2003, just north of Lac du Bonnet
on Hwy 11. photo courtesy of Lorne Heshka, Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Winter is the best time to spot Great Grays, especially in years where abundant rodents in the boreal forest result in an "irruption" of Great Grays. Last winter and again this winter has been phenomenal for them in and near the boreal forest of south- eastern Manitoba. Curiously, even though they were abundant throughout the Southeast in the winter of 2004-2005, none were found nesting there the following summer. This, according to owl expert Dr. James Duncan, who has authored what some consider the definitive tome on owls of the world, aptly titled, Owls of the World.The province's foremost authority on the Great Gray, Dr. Robert Nero, played a large part in having the Great Gray selected as Manitoba's official bird emblem in 1987. In May of 1984, while conducting owl research, Dr. Nero rescued a starving runt that he named "Lady Grayl." She soon became a symbol for owl conservation and conservation in general and helped to raise thousands of dollars for owl research. She reached celebrity status and for over 21 years could be seen with Dr. Nero in schools and shopping malls across the province. So gentle and calm was her demeanour that she fooled many into thinking she was a stuffed mount until the startled observer was taken aback by the gentle swivel of her head. Sadly, this famous owl died of natural causes in October, 2005. The Lady Grayl Fund has been established in her honour under the Winnipeg Foundation with proceeds supporting conservation with priority given to owls and Manitoba-based projects. For more information call 204-944-9474.
Seeing a Great Gray is not unlike a music lover seeing The Beatles live, or a golf enthusiast watching Tiger Woods in person unleash one of his prodigious drives. It might be a once in a lifetime event, but it will be forever and indelibly branded into the memory of those fortunate enough to experience the "Phantom of the Northern Forest" (Nero) - the Great Gray Owl.
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