Yosemite Great Grey (1 Viewer)

[Vishals]

I will be in Yosemite from 9/30 to 10/3 and I really hope to photograph great grey owl. Any suggestions on where to find them? I am willing to dedicate every morning and evening to look for them. Any replies are greatly appreciated!

 

[Mark Newsome]

I can't offer much as regards local knowledge of sightings, but merely on logistics. Many visiting birders try McGurk Meadows, off the Glacier Point road (and some succeed). But from experience, you'll need to be dedicated to spend enough time. I stayed in Mariposa (one of nearest towns, on west side of park), and it was approx. 45 mins+ drive to the park entrance, then 45 mins drive to reach the site, and then 30 mins+ walk to reach the meadows. And you need to be there pre-dawn or stay until dark. So if you were going to concentrate your search at a known site like this, look into either camping close by or trying for a room at one of the few motels just on the outskirts of the park (or maybe you've already decided to sleep in the car?!) Otherwise you'll end up doing a lot of travelling which can be a pain if searching for days in succession.
Ebird should be useful in pin-pointing any recent sightings, but only one record shown for Yosemite during the current month at present.

Mark