Barred Owl Observations [ds8]

Using predominantly incidental detections, these data define the current range of Barred and hybrid Barred/Spotted Owls in California. The current range covers 27 counties and includes the coastal mountains of northern California from Marin County north to the Oregon border, across the mountainous northern part of the state, and south in the Sierra Nevada's. The first observations were made in 1978. There also are three observation records from just across the border in Oregon. The database was established by Gordon Gould with California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), formerly California Department of Fish and Game. The majority of these observations have come from state, federal, and private researchers, biologists, and foresters surveying for Spotted Owls. A few early observations were made by chance. Many of the records were added thanks to the compilation effort in 2006 by Brian Woodbridge, USFWS, Yreka, CA. The survey method used for Spotted Owls also works well for Barred Owls (see the 1992 and 2011 protocol documentation, USFWS "Protocol for surveying proposed management activities that may impact northern spotted owls" available online at http://www.fws.gov/wafwo/species/Fact%20sheets/NSO%20Survey%20Protocols%201992.pdf and https://www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/species/Data/NorthernSpottedOwl/Documents/2012RevisedNSOprotocol.2.15.12.pdf , respectively, last accessed on 4/2/2014). Most Barred Owl observations reported here have been made using methods similar to those presented in the Spotted Owl survey protocols.

This dataset is made available with the understanding that it shall be used exclusively by the person who requested the dataset. Do not redistribute this dataset. Use is to be made on an as-needed basis, where there is a need to know the owl's status in a particular area. Use of the database also may be made by researchers, planners, and government agencies for large-scale research, management, planning, and regulatory purposes. Users should contact recent data contributors prior to authoring scientific literature with the intent to publish. When this dataset is used, please use the following citation. "Barred Owl Observations dataset. YEAR. [Internet]. California Department of Fish and Wildlife [VERSION DATE]. where YEAR is the year that the data was accessed, and VERSION DATE can be located under Citation and Publication Date in the metadata below."

Disclaimer: The State makes no claims, promises, or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, reliability, or adequacy of these data and expressly disclaims liability for errors and omissions in these data. No warranty of any kind, implied, expressed, or statutory, including but not limited to the warranties of non-infringement of third party rights, title, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and freedom from computer virus, is given with respect to these data.