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Hoo Left the Lights On? Effects of Light Pollution on Northern NY Owl Species
Oviedo, Elishua Maughan, Phillip Alldred, Mary Garneau, Danielle
Oviedo, Elishua
Maughan, Phillip
Alldred, Mary
Garneau, Danielle
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2025-12-11
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Birds are indicators of healthy ecosystems and serve keystone roles as crucial seed dispersers, pollinators, and regulators of insect and small mammal populations. Since the 1970’s, birds have declined in abundance by 30%, disproportionately represented by passerine species, while waterfowl, upland game birds, and raptors are maintaining. In fall 2025, we aimed to compare differences in owl communities along an urbanization gradient that varied based on light and noise pollution levels. Urban sites included Clinton Community College, Rugar Woods, and the Barracks golf course), while rural survey sites included (Peru, Wickham Marsh, Point Au Roche State Park, and Port Douglas). During fall 2025, we called owls twice weekly for 1-2 hours using a bluetooth speaker connected to the Audubon Bird Call app. Each owl call lasted 10min with 30-50sec pauses while moving through calls of owls with increasing size. We monitored aural and visual responses and confirmed species using Merlin and iNaturalist. When owls responded, we shifted from traditional to juvenile calls to draw species in for visual encounters. Simultaneously, we placed autonomous recording units (ARUs) at each site to continuously record bird soundscapes, specifically targeting owls missed in callbacks that might have been calling later in the evening and in the early morning. At each site, noise pollution was registered using a decibel meter and light pollution using Bortle’s Dark Sky Scale and surrounding habitat was noted. Our results showed that owls are more active (head and seen) during brighter nights when the moon is approaching full, but also in naturally dark habitats such as rural forests. Soundscape analysis showed that owl community richness was similar across all sites ranging from 3-4 species and that this passive technique was more effective at identifying all owl species. Eastern screech owls (Megascops asio) were common at Rugar Woods and aligned with their versatility ranging from urban lots to suburbs that contain tree cavities. Great horned owls (Bubo virginianus) were common at the Barracks, CCC, Port Douglas, and Wickham Marsh which reflects their ability to inhabit forests, grasslands and wetlands. Barred owls (Strix varia) were common at Peru, Point au Roche, and Port Douglas sites with mature forests and nearby waterbodies. Barn owls (Tyto alba) were rare occurrences. Owls in this survey were not as active near artificial light in urban areas. Soundscape and call playback surveys are complementary and these research findings can better inform us about anthropogenic impacts on biodiversity such that mitigation efforts and land management can better support target species.