Hope on the edge of the abyss: northern spotted owl family raises fledglings in Eastern Washington

A two-month old fledgling northern spotted owl perched in the branches of a conifer in an east cascade forest. (Photo by WDFW)

As I scrambled up a steep hillside trying to catch my breath in the evening twilight — sweaty, scratched up, and swarmed by mosquitoes — I heard it.

Four low hoots floated through the forest, deep and mysterious.

I froze. Heart pounding, I looked up. Just 20 feet above me, perched just below the tree canopy, was what I’d been searching for since 4 a.m.: a northern spotted owl. And not just any spotted owl; this was the male of the only known breeding pair in Eastern Washington north of Interstate 90.

He stared down at us with calm curiosity. His enormous eyes — those mysterious black orbs — held something ancient and fragile. In that moment, I knew I was witnessing something profoundly rare.

Northern spotted owls depend on mature, productive forests for nesting, roosting and hunting — habitats that have become increasingly fragmented. (Photo by WDFW)

And then came a subdued whistling screech that snapped me out of my daze. A fuzzy ball of downy feathers fluttered into view: a fledgling.

This was one of two juveniles this spotted owl pair raised, the only documented fledglings in this part of the state. Floppy, awkward, and curious, he bobbed his head up and down and side to side, trying to figure out what I was, likely seeing a human — and a camera lens — for the very first time.

I stayed there for what felt like hours, crouched on a sloping hillside beneath towering firs, watching this tiny, fuzzy, two-month-old owl stare back, both of us mesmerized. This wasn’t just a wildlife sighting — it was a glimpse into a vanishing world.

In this remote valley on the east slopes of the Cascade Range, this spotted owl family is perched on the edge of the abyss. Their territory is one of the last known breeding sites east of the Cascade Crest. I had the rare opportunity to photograph these owls as part of ongoing northern spotted owl population monitoring by the USDA Forest Service (USFS) — work supported by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) research and methodology.

WDFW spotted owl biologist Emilie Kohler looks for spotted owls in a dry East Cascades forest, as she remarks to me that “smiling while getting eaten by mosquitos is a life skill.” (Photo by WDFW)

Earlier that day, 50 miles further south in the national forest, I was looking for a potential spotted owl nest site with Emilie Kohler, WDFW’s northern spotted owl species lead. As we carefully walked through the forest and Emilie occasionally made spotted owl calls, she grimly told me that “if we don’t do something soon, we can expect northern spotted owls to go functionally extinct in the state within the decade.”

Spotted owl survival depends on more than just a single successful breeding season. It will take habitat protection, complex and difficult management decisions, and long-term conservation partnerships across state, federal, and tribal governments to give these owls a fighting chance to pull back from the brink of extinction.

A species in steep decline

A male northern spotted owl perched on a tree as it calls for its mate and their two fledglings. (Photo by WDFW)

The northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) was listed as Washington state endangered in 1988 and federally threatened in 1990. Over the past several decades, habitat loss from timber harvests and increasingly severe wildfires has driven sharp declines in northern spotted owl populations.

According to a 2022 U.S. Forest Service analysis using satellite data, much of the remaining old-growth and legacy forest on non-federal lands has continued to decline since 1993. These forests — which provide essential large trees, snags, and layered canopies — have been disproportionately lost on private lands, while recent wildfires have also erased gains on some federal lands. Today, most of Washington’s northern spotted owl population exists west of the Cascades or in isolated pockets in the East Cascades.

Although the pair I had the chance to document is one of few remaining breeding pairs in Eastern Washington, that’s not to say there aren’t any other spotted owls on the landscape. There are documented “floaters” across the state — lone owls without established territories.

“Before they can successfully breed in the wild, northern spotted owls need to establish territories,” said Kohler. Unfortunately, this is nearly impossible for a spotted owl once a barred owl decides to move in.

“Barred owls will eat their preferred prey first, which are small mammals,” Kohler said. “When there are no more small mammals in the territory to eat, they’ll expand their diet to pretty much anything else. That leaves next to nothing for a lone spotted owl to feed on. Without a reliable food source, the spotted owls can’t establish a territory, breed, or raise chicks, and that’s where we’re seeing the biggest declines to spotted owl populations.”

If these “floaters” didn’t have to compete with barred owls (Strix varia) for resources, they could find potential mates, start breeding, and increase the overall population of spotted owls given current habitat protections. That’s where barred owl management comes in.

One of two fledglings observed. Juveniles in this region face steep odds, and the presence of barred owls nearby increases mortality risk. (Photo by WDFW)

Barred owl management

Today’s main threat to spotted owls in Washington is not habitat loss alone; it’s competition from the barred owl, which the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) considers invasive west of the Rocky Mountains.

Originally native to the eastern United States, barred owls have expanded westward and now overlap with, outcompete, harass, maim, and even prey on spotted owls throughout much of their range. Barred owls are more aggressive, more adaptable, and have broader diets than spotted owls. Where they establish territories, spotted owls often disappear from the landscape, pushed into low quality habitat where they may starve or succumb to carnivores.

To address these threats, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service developed a plan to authorize barred owl removal in specific places in the Northwest where doing so may most significantly benefit spotted owls.

“There’s still hope — if we start managing barred owls now,” Kohler said. She emphasized that doing so could benefit a wide range of species, not just northern spotted owls.

Barred owls aren’t simply replacing spotted owls in the food web. Their generalist diet, broad distribution, and high population densities are very likely disrupting diverse forest communities across the Pacific Northwest, affecting other at-risk and endangered wildlife.

In Washington, barred owls may be forcing at-risk native species, such as the endangered Canada lynx, fisher, and other Species of Greatest Conservation Need to compete for key prey like snowshoe hares, undermining recovery efforts.

A barred owl on the left, and a northern spotted owl on the right. Notice the darker feather color and face on the spotted owl, and the larger size of the barred owl. Beyond physical differences, these owls differ greatly in terms of habitat requirements, reproduction, and prey selection. (Photos by WDFW)

Barred owl management has proven to be effective at stabilizing spotted owl populations and preventing the recolonization of barred owls. While wildlife managers may have to do some level of barred owl management long-term, starting now will help keep spotted owls on the landscape as scientists research better ways of effectively mitigating the negative impacts of barred owls.

“If we choose to do nothing, we won’t have those opportunities. Spotted owl extinction from the wild is forever,” says Kohler. “We still have a real chance at recovering this iconic Pacific Northwest indicator species, but we need to take action, and soon.”

In addition to habitat recovery and proposed barred owl management, WDFW is exploring different options for boosting Washington’s spotted owl population. This could mean moving individuals from one area to another, breeding them in captivity, or headstarting — raising young birds in protected outdoor enclosures at zoos and conservation organizations before releasing them into the wild. These efforts make up a three-pronged recovery strategy for Washington’s northern spotted owls: augmentation, habitat protection, and barred owl management.

Why this sighting matters

While it might look like this fledgling spotted owl is dancing, it’s merely using its wings to remain balanced on the branch. Like many birds, fledgling spotted owls are notoriously wobbly and uncoordinated. (Photo by WDFW)

This owl family’s success is a reminder that spotted owls can still persist in the eastern Cascades, but their future remains fragile. Juvenile owls face high mortality rates in their first year. The presence of barred owls, ongoing habitat degradation, and climate stressors all compound the risks.

This isn’t just a heartwarming story of a family of endangered owls surviving against all odds, it also provides important biological data. These owls strengthen the case for continued habitat protections, long-term monitoring, and forest management practices that maintain old-growth and legacy forest across the East Cascades and underscore the urgent need to begin barred owl management.

“This nest offers a glimmer of hope for a species in steep decline, but that hope depends on taking recovery actions and building public awareness and support for those actions,” says Julia Smith, WDFW endangered species recovery section manager. “To successfully recover endangered species, government wildlife managers need social license and buy-in on management actions.”

How you can help

WDFW and our partners are actively monitoring, managing, and conserving habitat for spotted owls in Washington. Help us support this endangered species:

• Avoid disturbing owl habitat. Refrain from using playback calls or approaching owls in the wild.
• Support forest health initiatives. Older, multi-layered forests are critical to the survival of many species — not just owls. They are generally more resilient in the face of increasingly intense wildfires.
• Learn more about barred owls. Review WDFW’s barred owl management fact sheet to learn more about barred owls and proposed management actions.
• Learn more about northern spotted owls. Visit the WDFW northern spotted owl species page.
• Spread the word. Awareness and public support are essential to recovery efforts.

Hope, on the edge of the unknown

A fledgling spotted owl. (Photo by WDFW)

The northern spotted owl has become a symbol of both what we stand to lose and what might still be saved. In a quiet canyon deep in Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, a single pair has carved out a fragile foothold — reminding us that even in fragmented forests, life still finds a way. We don’t know whether their fledglings will survive the year, but their presence in the east Cascades is a call to action: the wild is still here, and it’s still worth protecting.

Anour Esa is a biodiversity communications specialist, conservation photographer, and filmmaker at Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. As part of ongoing USDA Forest Service monitoring efforts for spotted owls, he had the opportunity to document these increasingly rare birds on behalf of WDFW.