HOLDEN – It seems hard to understand why anyone would go out for three hours in the middle of the night in the winter with little hope of seeing anything unusual.

But some 72 birders from Belfast to Bridgewater evidently believe the rewards will be rich when they participate this winter in the first statewide survey of Maine’s owls. That’s how many people showed up Saturday at Field’s Pond Nature Center to quietly, intently take a crash course in owl identification given by biologist Tom Hodgman of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

About 85 people showed up in Falmouth for the same workshop, which was given by Maine Audubon biologist Susan Hitchcox.

“I think you have to be serious coffee drinkers to want to do this,” Hodgman cracked.

The two-year study is being conducted by Maine Audubon and DIF&W with money from the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund and U.S. Fish and Wildlife because biologists know little about owls. Hodgman and Hitchcox are working together on the project to determine the most effective survey techniques for locating the nocturnal birds during the winter, which is the owls’ breeding season.

Most importantly, the two biologists want to create a survey that can be repeated each year to help monitor the three common owls in Maine: the great horned, the barred, and the northern saw-whet. They also hope volunteers will go out beyond the required three times to conduct a separate survey for rarer owls.

“Your efforts [there] could help list some owls in Maine as endangered species,” Hodgman said.

Hodgman said in order to list a species as endangered, data is needed to justify its listing, and state biologists have little. So any information the volunteers provide could stand to benefit the birds.

While making no promises of owl sightings, Hodgman told the group that through their toil, they would come to better understand the mysterious nocturnal birds. He promised that even at 5 a.m. they would want to stay out longer to call the birds, to hear their reply.

“This is a tremendous opportunity to get involved with owls,” he said. “A survey of skunks could not fill this room.”

And so, the 70 people at Field’s Pond Nature Center sat through two hours of instructions, with the intent of helping Hodgman learn more about Maine’s three common owls. They held their questions as they were taught to identify the “who-who-who, whoo-whoo,” of the 2-foot tall great horned owl, the “whooo-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha” of the equally large, striped barred owl, and the “hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo,” of the tiny saw-whet owl.

A pilot study done in 1999 with about 20 people, mostly DIF&W employees, suggested the saw-whet, Maine’s most abundant owl, hoots all night and may not need a recording to draw out its call. But Hodgman said with this “shirt-pocket-sized owl,” as with all of Maine’s owls, “We just don’t know.”

The counters also were given a lesson in how to identify those owls that are rarer in Maine – the eastern screech, the long-eared, the short-eared and the barn owl. Hodgman told the counters to go out, anywhere, anytime, and find what you can.

Weaving history with ornithological facts, Hodgman explained how some of the first explorers in America identified the long-eared owl as the most abundant bird in the New World because a flock of 100 was found congregating in a pine stand in a winter roost. He said, actually, this is typical behavior and not indicative of the birds’ numbers being wide spread.

But that’s not to say such a find would not be worth noting.

“If anyone finds a winter roost,” Hodgman implored, “Call me any time day or night!”

The survey of Maine’s common owls will offer enough of a task.

Starting next week until mid April the counters will go on designated routes around the state at three different times, all during the middle of the night, to play tapes of owls and listen. This is where their ability to identify owls by sound is important, because they will have to record each species they hear.

But regardless what the study first produces, it already has provided valuable information.

“What is happening by default,” Hodgman said, “is we are building a database of those people who could help. We have 120-to-130 people who are interested. So a tremendous thanks to everyone.”

Anyone interested in participating may contact Hitchcox at 781-2330 or at susan.hitchcox@maineaudubon.org.

Deirdre Fleming covers outdoor sports and recreation for the NEWS. She can be reached at 990-8250 or at dfleming@bangordailynews.net.