Megan Buers

Coastal screech-owls once flourished over the east coast of Vancouver Island, but now the subspecies has become a rare sight for birders. …Both subspecies have been considered threatened for more than a decade, with the committee on the status of endangered wildlife in Canada noting that the coastal subspecies faces ongoing threats including predation from barred owls, as well as habitat loss where logging has altered the age structure of the forest. “They were ubiquitous, they were everywhere at very high densities and not that long ago,” ornithologist Megan Buers said. …The largest reason for the low number along the east coast, the scientist said, is land development. “Those Garry oak ecosystems are highly degraded,” she said. …Currently, Buers believes Vancouver Island should be able to support “three or four times” the population of coastal screech owls that it has now.