Biology students visit owl monitoring station in Elk County

Bernadette Armstrong with a saw whet owl

Senior biology major Bernadette Armstrong studies a saw whet owl up close

Credit: Penn State

On November 9, students enrolled in BIOL 444 Ecology of the Mid-Atlantic traveled with Professor Carolyn Mahan to the Penn State Dubois saw whet owl monitoring station in Elk County. The saw whet owl is Pennsylvania's smallest owl and prefers to nest in conifer forests. Like many forest birds, saw whet owls make regional migrations through the Appalachian Mountains each fall. Monitoring stations like the one in Elk County provide valuable information about the small and secretive owl.