The Northern Saw-whet Owl (NSWO) is listed as a threatened species in North Carolina and Tennessee, and is an uncommon encounter in the hardwood habitat on Big Bald Mountain. Blue Ridge Bird Observatory volunteers maintain and monitor 35 nest boxes initiated at Big Bald Mountain by the USFS in 2006. Northern Saw-whet owls have been documented using the nest boxes at Big Bald Mountain in 2008, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020. The owls were detected by by incidental song detection since 1995.
