We do know that the coastal lowlands hold at least modest numbers of Short-eared Owls from October to March. The outer Eel River delta, the pasture-edges and saltmarsh around Humboldt Bay, and the various sandspits offer parcels of habitat for these birds. Perhaps this is a mystery the next generation of determined night birders can attempt to resolve. Pairs of breeding birds engage in a marvelous 'sky-dance' featuring aerial maneuvers and vocalizations. From 4-7 white eggs are laid in a simple nest in dense grasses or a shallow marsh.
Incubation takes about four weeks, and the owlets fledge after about one month.
Concentrate your careful scanning along fencelines and natural vegetation edges far out over the grassland, and look for the remarkably slow, flopping wingbeats, buffy wing-patches, and streaked underparts which distinguish this species.