Project Rationale
Unlike most other bird species, owls are nocturnal, secretive, cryptic, and elusive, which means that the normal techniques for documenting birds will likely miss many of them. There are probably many people outside of the birding and scientific communities
who are familiar with owls wintering in their area, perhaps in their barn or a stand of evergreen trees on their property. If those owls could be documented, it will help to fill in blank areas on the map of owl distribution. It will also encourage
enthusiasm and excitement for this underappreciated group of birds. The three species below are considered to be threatened or species of concern in Ohio, so having more information about their winter distribution can also help with their conservation.