In September, the GPC stewardship team visited the 1.7-acre Stillwaters Environmental Center in Kingston to collect field information for a baseline documentation report (learn more about baseline reporting here). During the visit, they stumbled upon a scattered pile of barred feathers and bone fragments. Upon closer inspection, they recognized bones that were part of the lower foot (the tarsometatarsus, in bird terms) and were adorned with two human-made bands. These bands noted that the bird had been intentionally captured and marked during a bird banding exercise.
Bird banding is one of the most important ways scientists monitor bird movements, survival, and breeding success over the long term. Bird banding is widely recognized as an invaluable tool in avian research, monitoring, and conservation. Banding allows for the long-term identification of individual birds. It allows scientists a better understanding of bird dispersal and migration, behavior, social structure, lifespan, reproductive success, survival, and population trends. This information provides scientists and organizations like GPC the data we need to make informed conservation and management decisions.
Birds represent the most abundant and diverse group of vertebrates found in terrestrial habitats in western Washington and around the world. Birds are considered important indicators of habitat quality, the canary in the coal mine if you will. For example, Pacific Wrens are closely associated with dead woody debris in the forest understory and many woodpecker species are closely associated with the presence of standing dead trees. Migratory birds are a particularly good indicator species because their survival is largely dependent on the availability of suitable habitat across a large area. Practices like bird banding and bird counts are helping scientists and conservationists make smart decisions when it comes to land preservation and stewardship.
The bird discovered in Kingston had two bands, one silver and the other orange with black triangles. The silver band was imprinted with nine numbers and directions on what to do if found. Staff collected the details and reported the findings to the North American Bird Banding Program, which is administered by the United States Geological Survey and Canadian Wildlife Service. While the banded feathers hinted at the bird’s species, it wasn’t until we heard back that our identification was confirmed. The remains and bands belonged to a female barred owl that had been banded in November 2023 near Bainbridge Island.
Unlike migratory species, barred owls have a small range. Many remain within 10 miles of their natal territory, where they hatched. While beautiful, these mid-sized birds are not native to the Pacific Northwest and are displacing many of Washington’s 11 native owl species. The smaller and less aggressive endangered northern spotted owl is in particular danger from the barred owl. This native owl species is facing a variety of threats including habitat loss as well as competition with the barred owl.
Evidence of barred owls displacing native owls has been documented on GPC preserves. Since 2022, GPC has participated in the Listen Up Collaborative through the Cornell Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative. The collaborative is designed to improve the long-term survival of Western Washington forest bird species by implementing several ecological forestry conservation practices. GPC Stewardship staff use AudioMoth devices to understand how birds respond to forestry practices. Acoustic data from 20 bird monitoring stations across seven GPC preserves support the notion that barred owls are likely displacing smaller, native owls, including the western screech owl and Northern Spotted Owl – only the barred owl and great horned owl have been detected on GPC’s study sites.
While it is always sad to lose a denizen of our forests, in finding the bands we are reminded of the complex challenges we face in protecting native species. Through continued research, monitoring, and strategic land conservation, GPC remains committed to preserving habitat, even as we grapple with the impacts of invasive species and changing ecosystems.