Northern Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus)

The Northern Saw-whet Owl is a small owl, but don’t let their small stature fool you! It just screams attitude with bright yellow eyes staring at you from its large cat-like face. You will probably not spot this bird as its coloring blends in with its habitat, but you might hear their unique call echoing through the forest.

Photo by Doris May

Why They Matter to Us

• Saw-whet Owls are excellent rodent hunters and help keep rodent populations down.

• Since these owls can nest in nest boxes, we can observe them and learn more about their behavior.

• This species is very secretive, so little is understood about the population trends. There probably has been a decline due to forest habitat loss.

How You Can Help

• Put up a Northern Saw-whet nest box. You can build your own box with these blueprints.

• Avoid the use of poison to control rodent populations as these owls may become poisoned by eating the tainted rodents.

• Avoid cutting down old, dying or dead trees as they can be perfect places for owl nests.

• Support protected areas in the Edmonton area such as those conserved by EALT! You can donate or volunteer your time to help with conservation efforts!

Juvenile Saw-whet Owls Photo by Marg Reine

How to Identify

Identify by Sight

• Adults have a mottled brown and white body

• Juveniles have a cinnamon belly and a brown back

• Typically a white ‘V’ in between their eyes

• Bright yellow eyes

Identify by Flight

You would typically not spot this bird by flight but if you do, characteristics are:

• Fluttering wing beats

• Direct silent flight path from one point to another

• White legs

Identify by Sound

• The Northern Saw-whet Owl has a distinctive song of “too-too-too”, used to advertise territory and courtship typically heard from January to May. They also make other sounds including high “tssst” calls, and snapping their beak. Click here to listen to the different calls of the Northern Saw-whet Owl.

Photo by Betty Fisher

Where to Find

Northern Saw-whet Owls are found in southern Canada, throughout the United States and into Mexico. Some are year-round residents and others are long-distance migrants which usually spend the winter in the States.

This species prefers to reside in mature forests, nesting in deciduous trees and roosting in conifer trees for protection. Despite this preference, this species has been found nesting in other habitats including coniferous swamps, disturbed forests and riverside forests like our own River Valley! The Northern Saw-whet Owl will also nest in nest boxes successfully.

Social Life

• Northern Saw-whet Owl nesting behavior is partially understood but more research is needed due to its elusive nature.

• Males draw in females to a potential territory with their “too-too-too” call.

• The female probably builds the nest but the male helps choose potential sites.

• The females do the nest incubation and brooding while the males do all the hunting.

• Babies are born white and semi-helpless with closed eyes.

• They will typically find new partners every year.

Food Chain

• Owls are predators and the Northern Saw-Whet is no exception, targeting mice and other rodents.

• If migrating, the Saw-whet may target birds, insects or even inter-tidal invertebrates if the bird is near the coast.

• Northern Saw-whet Owls are prey for other larger birds of prey including Great Horned Owls and Peregrine Falcons.

Photo By Doris May

Fun Facts

• Although there is no consensus as to why this owl species was given its name, it is theorized that one of its calls sounds like sharpening a saw on a whetting stone.

• The migrating owls even cross large bodies of water. One owl flying over the Atlantic Ocean landed on a ship 70 miles from land.

• The oldest wild bird on record was at least 9 years and 5 months old.

• After the youngest chick in the nest is 18 days old, the female will leave the nest, and it’s young to the male to finish raising. Without the female to clean the nest, it is full of feces, pellets and rotten meat 10 to 14 days later when the young leave the nest.

• These owls are hard to spot. The best way to find one as a bird watcher is to look for flocks of songbirds diving around a single point. A predator is definitely there!

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Sources

BirdLife International 2016. Aegolius acadicus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T22689366A93228694.  Downloaded on 25 October 2018.

Northern Saw-whet Owl information page from All About Birds.

Northern Saw-whet Owl information page from What Bird.

Saskatoon (Amelanchier alnifolia)

Saskatoon bushes are a shrub with tasty edible berries that is common in the Edmonton region. In the past, Indigenous people used the berry to make pemmican, which is preserved dried meat, and in today’s world, the berry is used to make many delicious foods including pies and jams.

Photo by Patrick Kyle

Photo by Andrew Malone

Why They Matter to Us

• Saskatoon shrubs have a long history of human usage both in the past and present. The berries are edible and provide important nutrients including Vitamin C and iron.

• The presence of Saskatoon shrubs indicates that the area receives a significant amount of moisture as the plant will not grow in areas with less than 350 mm of annual precipitation.

• As Saskatoon bushes typically grow in thickets, this shrub provides good wildlife habitat, preventing exposure of mammals and nesting birds to predators or bad weather.

• Saskatoon berries are an important food in fall and winter for any wildlife, including especially birds.

How You Can Help

• Avoid using pesticides as they can harm the bees that pollinate Saskatoon flowers. Saskatoon shrubs can self-fertilize but if bees pollinate the flowers, more berries are produced.

• Plant Saskatoon shrubs in your garden instead of other non-native shrubs.

• Support protected areas in the Edmonton area such as those conserved by EALT!

Photo by Patsy Cotterill

How to Identify

Saskatoon bushes are a shrub, meaning they have woody growth, with young stems being red-brown and older stems being gray. Their alternately-arranged oval leaves are distinctive with toothed ends and smooth sides.

Flowers bloom in clusters of snowy white with each head containing 5 petals. They produce small purple/blue clusters of berries that taste similar to blueberries.

Where to find

Saskatoon shrubs can be found almost anywhere across Canada, from British Columbia to Ontario. and north in the Yukon and Northwest Territories. It prefers areas with high levels of organic matter and well-drained soils

Photo by Doris May

Food Chain

• The Saskatoon is a primary producer utilizing photosynthesis to create food. It requires sunlight and nutrient and water-rich soil.

• All above-ground parts of the Saskatoon are food for wildlife. Branch tips and leaves serve as winter and summer foods for moose, elk and deer. The flower buds are fed on by sharp-tailed grouse in the spring and winter. Birds, bears, chipmunks, squirrels and other animals all feed on the berries and help spread the seeds through their scat.

Fun Facts

• This shrub’s name comes from its Cree name “mis-ask-quah-toomina” which was shortened to “Saskatoon” by early settlers.

• This shrub goes by many common names including serviceberry, Indian pear and juneberry.

• After a fire, the Saskatoon shrub may lose its branches, leaves and flowers but the roots will typically survive if the soil is moist. It has been observed there is even more Saskatoon growth after a fire.

• Indigenous usage of the Saskatoon included food, arrow shafts and medicine for liver trouble and intestinal issues.

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Sources

• Nature’s Nourishment. 20 Recipes Featuring wild native plants found in the Edmonton Region, from the Edmonton and Area Land Trust

• Saskatoon webpage from Alberta Plant Watch

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Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica)

Stinging Nettle is a fitting name for this plant, because it has formic acid in its leaf hairs. However, this plant was used for many medical uses, including abdominal issues, and is still eaten today! You can safely touch this plant if your skin is covered.

Photo: H. Zell

Why They Matter to Us

• Has long been utilized by Indigenous people to treat various medical conditions

• Is full of vitamins important to human health

• Has a strong association with human habitation and disturbance

• Can indicate if the ground is frequently wet because the Stinging Nettle thrives in moist soil

Indigenous Uses for Stinging Nettle

• Indigenous people used fresh leaves to treat acne, eczema, diarrhea, intestinal worms, and urinary tract infections

• Nettles were boiled into a tea and drank as a childbirth aid by increasing milk production, hastening labor and relaxing the muscles

• Stinging nettle leaves were used as a food and nutrient source including chlorophyll, carotene and Vitamin C

• The plant’s long fibers were transformed into cord and fishing line

Photo: Patrick Kyle

How to Identify

• Stinging nettles can be up to 3 m tall with opposite leaves that are jagged-toothed in shapes ranging from spear-like to oval.

• Stinging nettle flowers are tiny, numerous green-ish and grow in drooping clusters on the plant.

Where to find

Stinging nettle is found throughout Canada except Nunavut. They prefer areas with moist, rich soils such as riparian areas and moist woodlands.

Food Chain

• Stinging nettles are primary producers which means they create their own food. To create their own food with photosynthesis, they required mineral-rich soils, water and sunlight.

• Due to the stinging nettle’s natural protection, this plant is avoided by most animals, except the larvae of various butterflies and moths.

Fun Facts

• In Europe, the chlorophyll from this plant is used commercially as a food-safe green coloring agent (E140)

• Stinging nettle leaves, which have a peppery zing or spinach like taste, are perfectly edible, BUT blanch the leaves thoroughly for safe eating first!

• When the hairs on nettle leaves are broken, formic acid is released, causing a stinging on the skin.

• Formic acid is used by humans for preserving livestock feed , household cleaning products and to protect pipes against corrosion

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Sources

• Nature’s Nourishment. 20 Recipes Featuring wild native plants found in the Edmonton Region, from the Edmonton and Area Land Trust

• Stinging Nettle, from the Edible Wild Food website

• Formic Acid scientific article, from the Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry