June 2018 Photo-observation of the Month

A Northern Saw-whet Owl peers out of a nest cavity. / © shawneevt

Congratulations to shawneevt for winning the June 2018 iNaturalist Vermont photo-observation of the month. The image of a Northern Saw-whet Owl in a nest cavity was the most popular photo-observation.

According to the Vermont Breeding BIrd Atlas, most nesting Northern Saw-whet Owls are found in the mountains and northeast Vermont.These tiny owls typically nest in old woodpecker holes (especially those of Northern Flickers and Hairy Woodpeckers) 20-60 feet high. They will use properly sized bird boxes too. The usual clutch of 5 to 7 white eggs is laid in the unimproved nesting cavity, most often in April in New England. In late fall this owl migrates southward. You can see the annual phenology and a map of reported locations on Vermont eBird, a project of VCE’s Vermont Atlas of Life.

Visit iNaturalist Vermont, and you can vote for the winner this month by clicking ‘fav’ on your favorite photo-observation. Make sure you get outdoors and record the biodiversity around you, then submit your discoveries and you could be a winner!