Longfellow, the Great Gray Owl
photo credit: Edwin_Butter
Great Gray in the Morning!
March 12, 2025
EMECEE: Welcome to Great Gray in the Morning! Here is your host, Great Gray Owl Larry Longfellow!
Thank you, to members of Strix nebulosa everywhere. Remember, if you're a Great Gray Owl, you're invited to call in and chat on, quote-unquote, all things Great and Gray. So to speak. Just call us at 1-800-GREAT-GRAY. That's 1-800-GREAT-GRAY.
[phone rings]
Well, would you listen to that. The phone is already ringing. This is going to be a great show, I can feel it.
Hello, and welcome to Great Gray in the Morning with Larry Longfellow! I take it that you are a Great Gray Owl?
Yes, I am, indeed.
That's great! What is your name, please, and where are you calling from?
My name is Gardenia and I am calling collect from Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.
Calling collect, eh? How very sneaky of you, Gardenia.
You know how resourceful we Great Gray Owls can be, Larry, scraping a living out of seemingly empty fields of snow and whatnot.
And whatnot, indeed! I take it then that you are a stateside Great Gray Owl, Gardenia?
Indeed, I am, Larry.
Most people think of us Great Gray owls as living in Canada, in the boreal and taiga forests. They forget that we also live in some of the higher mountains of the northwestern United States.
That we do, Larry. In fact, do you know what? I have cousins who live in Yosemite National Park!
No! Really? Me too! We'll have to get together sometime and compare genealogies.
I would love that, Larry.
And whereabouts do you live in Grand Teton National Park, Gardenia?
What, me personally? I live on top of an old conifer tree snag, just in sight of the Grand Targhee Ski Resort.
Ah, yes, I know it well. I used to ski those slopes as a fledgling -- in the wee hours of the morning, of course, when no one was looking. That's in the Jedidiah Smith Wilderness Area, as I recall.
That's correct, Larry. It's part of the Caribou-Targhee National Forest.
And what are you up to today?
I'm perched here on the tippy top of this snow-covered lodgepole pine, listening for rodents: you know, mice, voles, pocket gophers: that kind of thing.
Interesting. And how many rodents do you consume daily?
The more, the merrier, of course, but I generally shoot for an absolute minimum of three.
I know what you mean, it's always the more, the merrier when it comes to those rodents, isn't it, Gardenia? Well, listen, I think that the sun is coming up there in Wyoming right now so we'll let you get back to hunting. I know how much we Great Gray Owls like to snooze after the sun comes up.
Thanks, Larry. It just so happens that I hear the pitter-patter of breakfast right now about 75 meters to my north.
Happy hunting, Gardenia! Goodbye for now.
The number is 1-800-GREAT-GRAY. If you're a member of the species Strix nebulosa, give us a call. We'd love to know what you're up to today.
[phone rings]
And back to the phones we go. Hello, and welcome to Great Gray in the Morning. My name is Larry Longfellow, who am I speaking with?
Hi, Larry, can you hear me?
[static]
Please turn down your radio, we're getting feedback.
Oh, sorry about that. Can you hear me now?
Yes, we can, sir. What's your name and where are you calling from, please?
My name is Wing Crosby and I'm calling from the middle branches of an aspen tree in Chitek Lake Anishinaabe Provincial Park in northern Manitoba.
Wow, that's a real mouthful of a location, Mr. Crosby -- or a beak-ful of a location, as the case may be.
It's on the western shore of Lake Winnipeg.
Oh, I gotcha.
I'm just calling to say hello and to thank you for producing such a great show about Great Gray Owls.
Why, thank you.
In fact, I imagine that it's the only show devoted exclusively to we Great Gray Owls.
Yes, and it was long overdue, wasn't it?
I also wanted to remind your listeners that we Great Gray Owls are the official Bird of the Province of Manitoba.
Oh, that's right!
Shout out to the late-great Dr. Robert W. Nero for making that happen, by the way1!
Yes, indeed. He was a wonderful ornithologist for the Prairie Provinces, wasn't he?
It's thanks to Homo sapiens like Robert that the Great Gray Owl population has doubled in Canada since 19702.
Our Great Gray Owl population has doubled in Canada since 1970? Where did you pick up that nugget?
I read it on a website called Nature Counts produced by the organization called Birds Canada.
Thanks for calling, but I'm sure you're eager to catch some shut-eye. I imagine that the sun is now coming up over Lake Winnipeg. Speaking of which, that's a big lake, isn't it?
Yes, indeed. They tell me that Prince Edward Island could fit inside Lake Winnipeg four times!
Yes, but wouldn't that be a very expensive and time-consuming operation, Mr. Crosby?
Oh, you!
Talk to you again soon, Mr. Crosby. Buh-bye, now. That was Wing Crosby, a Great Gray Owl from Chitek Lake Anishina-- Anaishinaba -- Oh, let's just say that he's a Great Gray Owl from Manitoba, okay?
Now then, before we run out of time, I want to make my own quick call to everyone's favorite vocalist in the world of Great Gray Owls, the great Gray-Z!
Hold on a moment while I punch in the number here. Let's see 814-618... blah-blah-blah-blah...
[phone ringing]
Gee, I hope he's home.
Hello?
Hello, is this Gray-Z the Great Gray Owl?
What?! Larry Longfellow? Is that YOU, dog?!
Yes, it is, Gray-Z! So glad you took my call!
Anything for a member of the true owl species of Strix nebulosa!
Listen, Gray-Z, we're pressed for time, but we were hoping that we could have you do a couple vocalizations for us on this edition of Great Gray in the Morning!
I'm ready to spit fire, dog, my bars are as hot as the sun!
I am sure they are, Gray-Z, but will your owl vocalizations be typical of the species Strix nebulosa, that's what I want to know.
You know me, dog, I am always ready to represent.
I'll take that as a yes.
Okay. Well, first let me thank my audience for tuning in today -- and now join us as Gray-Z himself takes us out of here with some of his chart-topping vocalizations. Fire when ready, Gray-Z!
[Gray-Z produces Great Gray Owl vocalizations]
[applause]
EMCEE: This has been Great Gray in the Morning, with Great Gray Owl Larry Longfellow! Join us next time when Larry teaches you how to cook Pocket Gopher Pesto a la Italiana.
1: Tribute to Robert W. Nero, Nature Manitoba
2: The State of Canada's Birds, Nature Counts
March 12, 2025
EMECEE: Welcome to Great Gray in the Morning! Here is your host, Great Gray Owl Larry Longfellow!
Thank you, to members of Strix nebulosa everywhere. Remember, if you're a Great Gray Owl, you're invited to call in and chat on, quote-unquote, all things Great and Gray. So to speak. Just call us at 1-800-GREAT-GRAY. That's 1-800-GREAT-GRAY.
[phone rings]
Well, would you listen to that. The phone is already ringing. This is going to be a great show, I can feel it.
Hello, and welcome to Great Gray in the Morning with Larry Longfellow! I take it that you are a Great Gray Owl?
Yes, I am, indeed.
That's great! What is your name, please, and where are you calling from?
My name is Gardenia and I am calling collect from Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.
Calling collect, eh? How very sneaky of you, Gardenia.
You know how resourceful we Great Gray Owls can be, Larry, scraping a living out of seemingly empty fields of snow and whatnot.
And whatnot, indeed! I take it then that you are a stateside Great Gray Owl, Gardenia?
Indeed, I am, Larry.
Most people think of us Great Gray owls as living in Canada, in the boreal and taiga forests. They forget that we also live in some of the higher mountains of the northwestern United States.
That we do, Larry. In fact, do you know what? I have cousins who live in Yosemite National Park!
No! Really? Me too! We'll have to get together sometime and compare genealogies.
I would love that, Larry.
And whereabouts do you live in Grand Teton National Park, Gardenia?
What, me personally? I live on top of an old conifer tree snag, just in sight of the Grand Targhee Ski Resort.
Ah, yes, I know it well. I used to ski those slopes as a fledgling -- in the wee hours of the morning, of course, when no one was looking. That's in the Jedidiah Smith Wilderness Area, as I recall.
That's correct, Larry. It's part of the Caribou-Targhee National Forest.
And what are you up to today?
I'm perched here on the tippy top of this snow-covered lodgepole pine, listening for rodents: you know, mice, voles, pocket gophers: that kind of thing.
Interesting. And how many rodents do you consume daily?
The more, the merrier, of course, but I generally shoot for an absolute minimum of three.
I know what you mean, it's always the more, the merrier when it comes to those rodents, isn't it, Gardenia? Well, listen, I think that the sun is coming up there in Wyoming right now so we'll let you get back to hunting. I know how much we Great Gray Owls like to snooze after the sun comes up.
Thanks, Larry. It just so happens that I hear the pitter-patter of breakfast right now about 75 meters to my north.
Happy hunting, Gardenia! Goodbye for now.
The number is 1-800-GREAT-GRAY. If you're a member of the species Strix nebulosa, give us a call. We'd love to know what you're up to today.
[phone rings]
And back to the phones we go. Hello, and welcome to Great Gray in the Morning. My name is Larry Longfellow, who am I speaking with?
Hi, Larry, can you hear me?
[static]
Please turn down your radio, we're getting feedback.
Oh, sorry about that. Can you hear me now?
Yes, we can, sir. What's your name and where are you calling from, please?
My name is Wing Crosby and I'm calling from the middle branches of an aspen tree in Chitek Lake Anishinaabe Provincial Park in northern Manitoba.
Wow, that's a real mouthful of a location, Mr. Crosby -- or a beak-ful of a location, as the case may be.
It's on the western shore of Lake Winnipeg.
Oh, I gotcha.
I'm just calling to say hello and to thank you for producing such a great show about Great Gray Owls.
Why, thank you.
In fact, I imagine that it's the only show devoted exclusively to we Great Gray Owls.
Yes, and it was long overdue, wasn't it?
I also wanted to remind your listeners that we Great Gray Owls are the official Bird of the Province of Manitoba.
Oh, that's right!
Shout out to the late-great Dr. Robert W. Nero for making that happen, by the way1!
Yes, indeed. He was a wonderful ornithologist for the Prairie Provinces, wasn't he?
It's thanks to Homo sapiens like Robert that the Great Gray Owl population has doubled in Canada since 19702.
Our Great Gray Owl population has doubled in Canada since 1970? Where did you pick up that nugget?
I read it on a website called Nature Counts produced by the organization called Birds Canada.
Thanks for calling, but I'm sure you're eager to catch some shut-eye. I imagine that the sun is now coming up over Lake Winnipeg. Speaking of which, that's a big lake, isn't it?
Yes, indeed. They tell me that Prince Edward Island could fit inside Lake Winnipeg four times!
Yes, but wouldn't that be a very expensive and time-consuming operation, Mr. Crosby?
Oh, you!
Talk to you again soon, Mr. Crosby. Buh-bye, now. That was Wing Crosby, a Great Gray Owl from Chitek Lake Anishina-- Anaishinaba -- Oh, let's just say that he's a Great Gray Owl from Manitoba, okay?
Now then, before we run out of time, I want to make my own quick call to everyone's favorite vocalist in the world of Great Gray Owls, the great Gray-Z!
Hold on a moment while I punch in the number here. Let's see 814-618... blah-blah-blah-blah...
[phone ringing]
Gee, I hope he's home.
Hello?
Hello, is this Gray-Z the Great Gray Owl?
What?! Larry Longfellow? Is that YOU, dog?!
Yes, it is, Gray-Z! So glad you took my call!
Anything for a member of the true owl species of Strix nebulosa!
Listen, Gray-Z, we're pressed for time, but we were hoping that we could have you do a couple vocalizations for us on this edition of Great Gray in the Morning!
I'm ready to spit fire, dog, my bars are as hot as the sun!
I am sure they are, Gray-Z, but will your owl vocalizations be typical of the species Strix nebulosa, that's what I want to know.
You know me, dog, I am always ready to represent.
I'll take that as a yes.
Okay. Well, first let me thank my audience for tuning in today -- and now join us as Gray-Z himself takes us out of here with some of his chart-topping vocalizations. Fire when ready, Gray-Z!
[Gray-Z produces Great Gray Owl vocalizations]
[applause]
EMCEE: This has been Great Gray in the Morning, with Great Gray Owl Larry Longfellow! Join us next time when Larry teaches you how to cook Pocket Gopher Pesto a la Italiana.
1: Tribute to Robert W. Nero, Nature Manitoba
2: The State of Canada's Birds, Nature Counts
And the winner is...
January 19, 2025
Hurray! I just got back from the North American Owl Awards, where I took home the Golden Owl Pellet for Largest Wingspan in a North American Owl. Did you know that my species' wingspan can be as great as 60.2 inches?! I left my competition in the dust -- or in the snow, as the case may be. Both the Snowy Owl's max wingspan and that of the Great Horned Owl top out at a disappointing 57.1 inches1. Hey, folks, tape measures don't lie!
Listen to the North American Owl Awards ceremony, live from Zimman Field at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts!
1: Great Gray Owl Identification, Cornell Lab: All About Birds
You Are Getting Sleepy!
December 9, 2024
You are getting sleepy!
Oh, hi there, friends. I was just trying to hypnotize some prey: a meadow vole, to be precise. Do you know, we Great Gray Owls missed our calling. We have all the appearances of the perfect hypnotist: big piercing yellow eyes inside of an enormous pale facial disk containing concentric gray and brown circles1, like a picture torn out of a book of optical illusions. Add in the big white X between our eyes and the white bowtie beneath our yellow-orange beak2, and we look like the perfect practitioner of the mesmeric arts. And this air of authority is only enhanced by the fact that we are the tallest owl in North America3.
It's a wonder that owl lovers don't fall asleep just looking at us.
But we do seem to manage to impress. The Manitoba legislature found us so beguiling that they made us their provincial bird in 1987. We are apparently more prevalent in that province than in any other part of Canada. I'm told you can find us in places like Riding Mountain National Park, Hecla/Grindstone Provincial Park, and the Sandilands Provincial Forest4.
But with all due respect, please keep your distance. We will not necessarily run away in the presence of strangers, but that does not mean that we are delighted with your propinquity. In fact, you could be stressing us out. That's bad, because it saps us of the energy we need for the purposes of daily survival. You may even be approaching a nest site for all you know. In that case, a female Great Gray Owl might appear to "freeze up" and stare at you from a nearby tree branch, but make no mistake: that is not a welcoming gaze, my friend. To the contrary, she is ticked by your presence and may even be getting ready to attack you5! Hear me now and believe me later!
Hah! I just thought of something funny. They call us the "provincial bird" of Manitoba, right, but we Great Gray Owls are anything but provincial, geographically speaking.
Our species range extends across Canada from Quebec City to Fairbanks, Alaska, and south into the Pacific Northwest, all the way down to Yosemite6, where researchers say we have been living as an isolated community for 25,000 years7! That said, we are not exactly mobile as individuals. In the words of the Animal Corner website, we are "predominantly sedentary8," with the exception that our northerly populations go south every four years or so in response to a cyclical downturn in local rodent populations. Such southerly forays are referred to as "irruptions" by those in the know and provide excellent opportunities for Statesiders to add Strix nebulosa to their lifetime bird list9.
I know what you're thinking, by the way. You're thinking:
"Thanks for this great intro to your species and I look forward to your future blog posts which will surely give me more fun specifics about Strix nebulosa. But what can I do to help the Great Gray Owl, given that it is currently listed as a 'sensitive' species in Oregon10 and an 'endangered' species in California11?"
Great question, folks! Wow! I'm impressed!
How do you help the Great Gray Owl?
For starters, cut down on unnecessary logging operations12! Fair enough? We raise our young in the abandoned nests of large birds, like goshawks and ravens, at the top of tall trees. And if there are no tall trees around, there are obviously no nests for my species to commandeer.
In the words of the National Park Service:
"Timber harvest is a threat when it removes the large live and dead trees required for nesting and the dense cover required for protecting new fledglings.13"
And if you could do something about global warming while you're at it, that would be so much gravy. In the words of Jennifer Bogo of the National Audubon Society:
"The Great Gray Owl could lose 97 percent of its current summer breeding range if the global temperature increases by 3 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.14"
So in a word, cool it, folks!
Get it? Cool it? Hah!
Ahem.
And stay tuned to this blog for more exciting facts about Strix nebulosa, the Great Gray Owl, aka "the Phantom of the North15"!
And now, if you'll pardon me, I'm going to have another go at this meadow vole that I've been holding here in my talons all this time. I keep telling the thing that it is getting sleepy, but it never seems to "take." I don't know what I'm doing wrong.
You are getting sleepy, do you hear? SLEEEEEEPY!
1: Strix nebulosa (Great Gray Owl), Digital Atlas of Idaho
2: Great Grey Owl, Animal Corner
3: Great Gray Owl, Nature Manitoba
4: The Great Gray Owl, Nature North
5: The Great Gray Owl, Nature North
6: Great Gray Owl Range Map, Cornell Lab: All About Birds
7: Great Grey Owl, Wikipedia
8: Great Grey Owl, Animal Corner
9: The Great Gray Owl Irruption, Audubon
10: Great Gray Owl Wildlife Profile, Oregon Wild
11: Great Gray Owl, National Park Service
12: Great Gray Owl, Alaska Handbook
13: Great Gray Owl, National Park Service
14: Explore Our Climate Change Cover, Audubon
15: Phantom of the North: the Elusive Great Gray Owl, Okanogan Highlands Alliance
copyright 2024 by Brian Quass.
contact: quass@quass.com.