Page 28 - Black Range Naturalist Vol 3 No 3 July 2020

Elf Owl at the A-Spear - Photograph by Dave Cleary - Text by J. R. Absher
With the assistance of expert Sierra County birder Dave Cleary, we have been conducting an owl survey here at the A-Spear for the past three years, specifically targeting the Elf Owl through aural identification of individual territories
here on Las Palomas Creek. Though there have been some incidental visuals (like in truck headlights before dawn), this week marked the first opportunity for a quality photograph (once again, pre-dawn). For us, it is quite exciting— especially considering we are located on the extreme edge of what is generally considered the range of the tiniest owl on the planet—and we have averaged six distinct nesting territories for three years running!
A photograph of the same spot, taken on April 29, 2020.
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