Lexi's unusual roosting habits

Above: Lexi roosting on a dead branch (Photo: George Gress)

Left: A typical chestnut oak/pitch pine dominant roost location (Photo: George Gress)

On January 19th, I was joined by volunteer George Gress to track down Lexi. We found her near her usual roost locations, but this time closer to the bottom of the slope of the Buck Ridge. We found a very fresh pellet (at 10:30 am in the morning) underneath the pitch pine that Lexi was roosting in. Typically, saw-whets will find a clump of pine cones or needles on a dense branch to roost in, but today Lexi was completely exposed on a dead branch about 2 feet from the main trunk of the tree (see above pictures). Usually, it takes a few minutes of searching in a tree that you detect an owl in to get a visual, but as we were passing by her tree, George looked up and said "There she is!" Thanks to George for helping me find her and sharing his great photos!