Sighting Record for Utah

Common name:	Boreal Owl
Scientific name:	Aegolius funereus
Date:	10/23/20
Time:	8:59 pm
Length of time observed:	8 minutes
Number:	2
Age:	Unknown
Sex:	Unknown
Location:	Naturalist Basin. Since the cold killed our electronic map/gps and it was completely dark, I m unsure of the exact location.
County:	Duchesne
Latilong:
Elevation:	9980
Distance to bird:	18
Optical equipment:	Canon SX65 and Nikon D7100 with Tamron 150-600 lens.
Weather:	Cold & very calm.
Light Conditions:	Dark.
Description: Size of bird:	~9
(Description:) Basic Shape:	Compact owl, large head.
(Description:) Overall Pattern:	Gray/Dark Brown
(Description:) Bill Type:	Owl.
(Description:) Field Marks and Identifying Characteristics:	Dark yellow eyes, white facial disc with dark brown border, white spots on head, pale bill, brownish-gray and white streaked breast, tail short, back brownish-gray with white spotting. (see photos)
Song or call & method of delivery:	Although we didn t know what we heard at first, we did hear a rough hiss while getting ready to search for the owls. Only later did I find that this is a sound could be a BOOW. One individual (photographed) was giving a skiew call and a bird farther away (20yrds?) was giving a repetitive cheep call, but much softer. Without observing the second bird, we were unable to use the owl s extreme reverse sexual dimorphism to determine which sex was making which call. (Audio)
Behavior:	Observed while perched ~12 above the ground in a fir, close to the trunk.
Habitat:	Thick groupings of mature firs surrounded by meadows and within 30 yards of a small body of water.
Similar species and how were they eliminated:	Northern Saw-whet Owl- pale bill, white facial disc, and vocalizations eliminate this species.
Previous experience with this & similar species:	Although this was my first known encounter with this species, I have spent a lot of time in the presence of all other common Utah Owl Species.
References consulted:
Description from:	From memory From photo(s) taken at the time of the sighting
Observer:	Mike Hearell
Observer's address:	Pleasant View, Utah
Observer's e-mail address:	**
Other observers who independently identified this bird:	Taylor Abbott
Date prepared:	10/26/20
Additional material:	Photos, Audio
Additional comments:	This was the first October I ve been free to search for Boreal Owls in proper habitat. I m usually busy hunting in habitat not conducive to finding them. I do feel that this bird is a lot more common than many are lead to believe. After this observation I reached out to others that have recently located Boreal Owls and it seems as though there have been multiple owls at multiple locations that are too far apart to be the same owls. Like I stated on the recent sight record, this bird is sparsely observed due to lack of access during breeding season, not because of rarity.