BIRDS OF THE ST. CROIX RIVER VALLEY 



85 



Record: One adult was shot in Woodbury Township, Washington County, on 

 20 October 1968 (Litkey 1969). The specimen was deposited in the museum 

 collection at the University of Wisconsin- River Falls. 



FAMILY STRIGIDAE: Typical Owls 



Screech Owl {Otus asio) 



Status: Regular permanent resident. 



Distribution: Uncommon permanent resident in the Western Upland and 

 Central Plain, rare to absent elsewhere. Bernard (1967) did not report this 

 species in Douglas County. Green and Janssen (1975) reported that screech 

 owls are resident in Carlton County, indicating possible residence in Pine 

 County. Documented nesting records exist for Pierce, St. Croix, and Wash- 

 ington counties. 



Habitat: Breeding screech owls are restricted primarily to mature deciduous 

 forests. Most breeding pairs that I have encountered were associated with 

 Lowland Deciduous Forest that was dominated by cottonwood, American 

 elm, and green ash. In agricultural areas, breeding screech owls are asso- 

 ciated with oak woodlots and they are regularly observed using ornamental 

 tree plantings in residential areas. 



Great Horned Owl {Bubo virginianus) 

 Status: Regular permanent resident. 



Distribution: Common permanent resident throughout the Central Plain and 

 Northern Highland, fairly common (locally common) in the Western Upland. 

 Jackson (1942) reported great horned owls were generally distributed in 

 northwestern Wisconsin. 



Habitat: Nesting great horned owls use a variety of habitats, including 

 Lowland Deciduous Forest, mature Northern Hardwood Forest, oak wood- 

 lots, Pine Plantations, Lowland Coniferous Forest, and Southern Deciduous 

 Forest. 



Long-eared Owl {Asio otus) 



Status: Regular migrant and nesting species, casual winter resident. 



Migration: Rare spring and fall migrant throughout the region. Spring mi- 

 grants arrive 1-15 March and are most commonly seen 20 March to 

 15 April. Fall migrants arrive about 1 October and most have departed by 

 1 December. 



Nesting Season Distribution: Rare nesting species throughout the Valley. 

 Nesting has been reported in Washington County (Christenson and Fuller 

 1975). In St. Croix County, the first nest record was obtained near Hudson 

 in 1973, and this pair also produced young in 1974. In Polk County, nesting 



