Barred Owls illustrated talk by Ornithologist Rob Bierregaard

Hosted by HLFM Director Pierce Rafferty

Rob Bierregaard’s July 11, 2021 recorded talk focuses on the Barred Owl, the most prevalent owl on Fishers Island. Their call is often described as sounding like: “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you-all?”

For over a decade, Rob’s research team studied the thriving population of Barred Owls that live in the Charlotte, NC, suburbs and surrounding countryside. A remarkable 300 pairs of Barred Owls live within 10 miles of downtown Charlotte. He and his graduate students, along with a small flock of undergrads, followed as many as 25 pairs of owls each spring and summer. They tracked dozens of owls to measure their home ranges and the dispersal of young. They installed video cameras in nest boxes and recorded the delivery of over 1,600 prey items. Rob will discuss what he learned about how and why Barred Owls have done so well in suburbia and give a general overview of how the species is doing across North America.