Date: 7/17/25 2:32 pm From: Wes Fritz via groups.io <wes-fritz...> Subject: [sbcobirding] Barn Owls
SB Birders,
This Nesting season for Barn Owls is down from last year. 2021 and 2015 were very poor also. This is due to rain amounts and when it rains. Fall/early winter rain is good, but spring and late spring rains benefit the Barn Owls and nesting.
This is not an official count but more of an observation. How I calculate successful nesting is by counting dead owls that are struck by vehicles.
I use Hwy 101 from Goleta to Orcutt, this is roughly 120 miles round trip. I only like to count every couple months to prevent over counting. The average number of Barn Owls is between 18 and 20 on an average year. This would be about mid June and July. The yearly total is much higher. Good rainy years can have up to 30 Barn Owls. Then factoring in the Great-horned Owls, it seems to vary, but it’s like for every 12 Barn Owls there is one Great-horned.
When changing courses and using Hwy (1) more Great-horned are detected along the road side, but this can be due to more suitable habitat. Road kill Western-Screech Owls do get detected but not very often as they are small and are flattened out quickly/bad or carried off. I have only found 4 dead Long-eared Owls over the years, they are not particularly a roadside hunter. The Common Poorwills seem to get hit more along Foxen Canyon Road and Figuroa Mountain Road. There are other locations in our county, but slope direction, elevation and substrate play a huge role in finding the Poorwills. Most are pretty good at avoiding a car strikes.
I realize this method of estimating owl numbers, or birds that go bump in the middle of night is not a pleasant survey. But it tends to hold true while out owling and detecting the expected numbers. If anyone has a better method of calculating successful nesting and full year survival rates ( juvs) I would appreciate hearing about it.
Please know that many of these owls and nightjars are not salvageable.
