| Common Name | Boreal Owl |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Aegolius Funereus |
| Type of Report | Rare Species |
| Date of Observation | 02/15/2025 |
| Media | |
| Number Observed | 1 |
| Reporting Observer's Name | Sean Beckett |
| Mailing Address | 2996 Elm Street Montpelier, VT 05602 United States Map It |
| Email hidden; Javascript is required. | |
| Date Completed | 02/15/2025 |
| Names & Emails of Other Contributing Observers | Sonia DeYoung |
| Latitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | 44.4870 |
| Longitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | -73.2129 |
| Place Name | 16 Spring Street |
| Township | Burlington |
| County | Chittenden |
| Vermont eBird Checklist URL | ebird.org |
| Time of Day | 11:00 AM |
| Length of Time Observed | 4 hrs |
| Maximum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 30 |
| Minimum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 6 |
| Noteworthy Weather Conditions | Clear, 25F, incoming winter storm later in the evening. |
| Optical Equipment Used for Observation | Eyes |
| Observer’s Previous Acquaintance With This or Similar Species | Licensed NSWO bander. |
| I certify that any attachments included with this report were captured during this observation event. | |
| Description of Habitat | Roosting on top of a wooden fence in the backyard of residence, perched in view of Spring Street, and 6' from sunroom window. Roost was in the open, but near a cluster of vines growing overtop a nearby perpendicular fence. Habitat was backyard suburban habitat with nearby yew and pine trees, bird feeders (at this house and several neighboring yards). When bird left fence, it perched in pine. |
| Behaviors Observed | Roosting with head in back feathers. Mostly sleeping, occasionally looking around. Virtually no reaction to observers or nearby passing dogs/people/cars/noises. Including toddlers knocking on sunroom window just a few ft away. |
| Description of Vocalizations | None |
| Verbal Narrative & Description of Observation | Sonia and her partner Tom discovered the owl out the window of her kitchen at about 11 AM. Sean and Lee arrived separately at 12, and found the owl perched in the same place. Sean left at 2 pm, after which the owl apparently flew to mid-canopy of a white pine in the backyard, where it remained for another 2 hours or so until flying away before dusk. |
| Relative Size & Shape | see photos |
| Head | see photos |
| Feet & Bill | see photos |
| Upper Back | see photos |
| Lower Back & Rump | see photos |
| Wings | Did not see in flight. |
| Breast, Belly, Flanks, Under Tail Coverts | See photos |
| Tail | See photos |
| IMPORTANT: What similar species were eliminated when making the identification and how was this bird different? | Significantly larger than NSWO. Lack of ear tufts, among other things, eliminated EASO. |
| Other Notes & Comments | Observations took place between about 11 am to 4 pm. Sean was only present 12-2 pm. |
| This report was written from notes taken: | Written from Memory |
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