Great horned owls subject of new U of R-RSM research project

The Royal Saskatchewan Museum and University of Regina want to hear from people who have heard a hoot.

The organizations have started a research project involving great horned owls. Anyone who sees one of the birds is asked to contact the museum or the U of R (uofrowlresearch@gmail.com).

“Great horned owls are one of the most common owls in Saskatchewan,” Dr. Ryan Fisher, the Royal Saskatchewan Museum’s curator of vertebrate zoology, said in a media release.

“Populations of great horned owls in southern Saskatchewan have been increasing in recent years and we are interested in how human modifications to the landscape have allowed this bird to be so successful.”

In southern Saskatchewan, great horned owls nest in trees that were planted around farmyards, abandoned buildings and other human-made structures. They also can be seen perched on things such as power poles, fence lines and planted trees.

“This adaptability is what makes these birds really unique, as this is one of only a handful of species that seem to do well in human-modified areas,” Fisher said. “Part of the project revolves around public participation and collaboration in the research, or citizen science — by having people share and contribute to data monitoring and collection.”

The project is to run until 2023.