Northern Saw-whet Owl adult

Juvenile NSWO banded at Big Bald.

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. NSWO have been documented at Big Bald by incidental song detection since 1995 and through capture in mist nets at Big Bald Banding Station since 2003. BRBO volunteers maintain and monitor 35 nest boxes initiated at Big Bald Mountain by the USFS in 2006.  NSWO have been documented using the nest boxes at Big Bald Mountain in 2008, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020.

Northern Saw-whet Owl

Inside nest box 9

Nest box 9