View Full Version : Barred Owls having tough winter
in the Northeast due to heavy snowpack and competition.
Story here (http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080213/GJNEWS_01/806402119)
Please be careful of "my brothers and sisters" when driving.;)
Had a Barred Owl come in before dark last evening and perch in the tree with the birdfeeder and suet, waiting for a Mole or Vole to pop up would be my guess. I have noticed some Red Squirrels absent lately. The Owl hung around at least an hour and got a couple pictures near dusk.May post them here later.
woodsy
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Another article (http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Lack+of+prey+threatens+NH%27 s+owls&articleId=f0f467b4-196d-419f-9425-e618ecc22d81) from inland NH regarding Barred Owls
bloodmountainman
03-05-2008, 12:29
I tried to nurse a Barred back to health this fall. I found it on the side of Highway 129. It must have got hit by a car. It had a broken wing and probably internal injuries. It didn't make it.:(
woodsy, you sure are wise when it comes to finding and posting great links. It saddens me to hear owls are experiencing a rough winter in the wilds of Maine.
I don't believe I ever told you about the owl I rescued when I was much younger. A friend of mine and I found an injured short-eared owl along the road shoulder near his home. We moved it to his sheep pasture, where we fed it for several days until it left on its own.
Knowing what I know now, I would take an injured owl to a raptor rehab center.
I would like to ask you a question. Are there many Great Gray and Snowy Owls in the wilds this winter?
woodsy, you sure are wise when it comes to finding and posting great links. It saddens me to hear owls are experiencing a rough winter in the wilds of Maine.
I don't believe I ever told you about the owl I rescued when I was much younger. A friend of mine and I found an injured short-eared owl along the road shoulder near his home. We moved it to his sheep pasture, where we fed it for several days until it left on its own.
Knowing what I know now, I would take an injured owl to a raptor rehab center.
I would like to ask you a question. Are there many Great Gray and Snowy Owls in the wilds this winter?
I have only seen Barred Owls this winter and only saw a Snowy Owl once as a teenager. Don't think I've ever seen a Great Gray Owl.
some people are reporting seeing Snowys though:
SNOWY OWLS were reported at two localities in Portland. One of
these was by the soccer field at Back Cove. The second sighting was by the
Million Dollar Bridge where the SNOWY OWL was being harrassed and chased by
a PEREGRINE FALCON. A third SNOWY OWL sighting was from Wood Island at
Biddeford Pool.
edited to add last evenings photo of Barred Owl at dusk (http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=22735)
Why are they getting hit by cars? I know that red headed woodpeckers are prone to this as well, because of their flight pattern and the fact that they like to cling to roadside telephone poles.
p.s. I saw a Snowy Owl about 10 years ago right here in Ohio. He was obviously lost, and hung around for about a week before moving on. Easily one of the coolest birds I have ever seen.
OSUBCS :Why are they getting hit by cars?
From the article it seems they are moving into more human populated areas in search of food. More people....... more cars and trucks.
Ice layer on snow? Making them hunt roadways?
MoBill122
03-05-2008, 18:39
Have a pair of Great Horned Owls nesting about 100ft behind my house. In January, it was hard to sleep with all the hooting going on.
Ice layer on snow? Making them hunt roadways?
Bingo! They do like to hunt openings like fields, pastures and roadways.
Seen em perched next to I-95 at times.
Jan LiteShoe
03-05-2008, 23:29
From the article it seems they are moving into more human populated areas in search of food. More people....... more cars and trucks.
The woman ranger at Amicalola and her identical twin sister put on a great raptor show. They rehab injured birds, and the ones that can't be re-released, they use for educational purposes.
They had a barred, and cute little screech, a gorgeous barn owl and a magnificent Great Horned.
The said that once a raptor launches an attack, it doesn't take its eyes off its prey. Many mice and varmints by the side of the road because motorists little food trash, etc. Car comes by as the bird sweeps across the road....
Fascinating show, up close and personal.
Enjoying the replies everyone. Getting to know your owls, their voices and their ranges makes looking for and listening to them more fun.
A page here from York Land Trust (http://www.yorklandtrust.org/owl.html)in southern Maine gives a brief description and voices of the more common owls to the northeast.
Feel free to add your favorites from your specific area of the Appalachians. Owls are truly fascinating creatures.
I spent three nights on the AT this past weekend, heard Barred Owls every night, fun to listen to. I have one living in the woods around my house and little Screech owls too. I always enjoy seeing them, all are beautiful.
Enjoying the replies everyone. Getting to know your owls, their voices and their ranges makes looking for and listening to them more fun.... York Land Trust (http://www.yorklandtrust.org/owl.html).... gives a brief description and voices of the more common owls to the northeast.
Great link, Thanks, Woodsy! We have a couple of Great Horned Owls that frequented our lake cabin last summer, but I haven't been since November.
I've been hearing our local barred owls going some the last couple of weeks. Nesting?
MoBill122
03-06-2008, 16:36
LiteShoe... My Great Horned Owls would sit in a tree above my patio and hoot at me... everytime I hooted at them. I quit that when I learned they were probably ready to attack me for invading their territory.... geezzz They are at MY HOUSE ! !
I always thought owls are a neat bird, but I have seen very few of them in person.
LiteShoe... My Great Horned Owls would sit in a tree above my patio and hoot at me... everytime I hooted at them. I quit that when I learned they were probably ready to attack me for invading their territory.... geezzz They are at MY HOUSE ! !
I think they claimed the patio.
Jan LiteShoe
03-06-2008, 17:56
LiteShoe... My Great Horned Owls would sit in a tree above my patio and hoot at me... everytime I hooted at them. I quit that when I learned they were probably ready to attack me for invading their territory.... geezzz They are at MY HOUSE ! !
Ha! The rangers at Amicalola notes that since human developments has encroached on the former wilds, and great Horned owls tend to return to where they had nested, it tends to lead to some, ah, interesting encounters.
There is documentation of a 3 pound Great Horned attacking and breaking the neck of a 16-pound bobcat - and THEN lifting it off the ground high enough so that it could be placed in the crotch of a tree, where ground predators couldn't get it.
Might want to keep Fluffy and Fido in at night, she mentioned casually.
I always thought owls are a neat bird, but I have seen very few of them in person.
How would you recognize them if you did, Bob S?:-? You must be one of those guys who believes in reintarnation. I prefer owls that look like owls myself.
Oh Jan, now there you go talking about attack owls, my parents are worried enough about me doing a thru-hike as it is. You know, wild animals dragging me out of my bag while I sleep, coyotes and such, now you've add owls to the list.
MoBill122
03-06-2008, 19:25
For heavens sake...don't let anyone mention around the folks about sightings of Big Foot on the AT... LOL
nah, Big Foot is okay, a little on the hairy side, but okay. Besides he lives just down the road from them, they know him.
So today it's warm here (35*):rolleyes: and I open the door to let some heat out and fresh air in. After a few minutes in comes a Barred Owls favorite meal, a Vole.
I've been seeing some of them roaming around on the crusty snow lately, in broad daylight. Think they're getting spring fever
I'm not sure whether or not they are totally blind or not but they respond better to noise than movement. So I chased it around and herded it back to the door where it finally escaped the jaws of death, the dog.
woodsy, when it comes to voles, I'm NIMBY. I'm generally not NIMBY since NIMBY=hypocrite, but more with every passing day I wish the beautiful hemlocks on the other side of the historical road upon which I reside hadn't become prey of hemlock woolly adelgids. Wishing won't bring them back or the screech owls that perched in them, but owls could do what I can't seem to do myself for my lawn.
Please tell your feathered friends they are :welcome at Shades of Gray's shelter.
Please tell your feathered friends they are :welcome at Shades of Gray's shelter.
No way! By the looks of the picture I took of that Barred Owl the other evening, they know they are needed here.
We have been seeing an explosion in Vole population here on the homestead, good for OWLS.
Heres hoping they will get a handle on the little rodents.
Wise Old Owl
03-06-2008, 20:55
Why are they getting hit by cars? I know that red headed woodpeckers are prone to this as well, because of their flight pattern and the fact that they like to cling to roadside telephone poles.
p.s. I saw a Snowy Owl about 10 years ago right here in Ohio. He was obviously lost, and hung around for about a week before moving on. Easily one of the coolest birds I have ever seen.
Easy - idiots throw fast food from cars, unfinished freedom fries litter our highways. Voles and mice are the staple to Owls & other Raptors...
I saw a crow peg a vole a few days ago. I spooked the vole from the ground feeder pile, and it made the mistake of heading for a cedar tree in front of Mr. Crow. Today I saw a crow eating deer poo. Near the ocean, salty?, maybe just hungry. It didn't seem too enthused about it's pellet.
Mr. Crow and his compadres get some dog food tomorrow.
Tough winter around here.
woodsy, I visited York Land Trust's website this morning where I learned 2008 has been declared The Year of the Owl. You'll no doubt be busier than a beaver responding to questions with so much attention focused upon owls.;)
I hope you'll still have time to devote to WhiteBlaze's wildlife threads. Yours are the best!
For information on owl migration studies conducted by Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art at Millersburg, click on learn about northern saw-whet owls (http://www.nedsmithcenter.org/06sawwhet.html).
The Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art is located not far from the AT near Duncannon. A thru-hiker might enjoy spending an afternoon of a rest day there. It would be a fine kick-off for a section-hike starting at Duncannon, an activity to incorporate into a weekend hike, a destination in itself or a pleasant break for Penn State students or their parents headed for State College from points in the southeast.
woodsy, you sure are wise when it comes to finding and posting great links. It saddens me to hear owls are experiencing a rough winter in the wilds of Maine.
.....Are there many Great Gray and Snowy Owls in the wilds this winter?
I used to see snowy owls occasionally along midcoast Maine, where I live. They tended to show up late on very cold winters. But it's been years since one has shown.
We are having a lot of snow along the coast, but it has been relatively warm. Degree days, those things that oil dealers use to determine when an automatic delivery is needed, are a little higher than last year, but well below what the weather bureau says is average. The last I looked Portland had had 5,000 degree days so far this winter. Last year on the same date it was 4,900. The average for the date is 5,500.
Portland is 50 road miles to the "south," but as a sea gull flies, only about 15 miles westerly across Casco Bay from me.
Weary
woodsy, I visited York Land Trust's website this morning where I learned 2008 has been declared The Year of the Owl. You'll no doubt be busier than a beaver responding to questions with so much attention focused upon owls.;)
I hope you'll still have time to devote to WhiteBlaze's wildlife threads. Yours are the best!
Thanks man,
Woodsy Owl's new motto "Lend a hand — care for the land!"
For information on owl migration studies conducted by Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art in Millersburg, click on learn about Northern Saw-whet Owls (http://www.nedsmithcenter.org/06sawwhet.html).
The Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art is located not far from the AT near Duncannon. A thru-hiker might enjoy spending an afternoon of a rest day there. It would be a fine kick-off for a section-hike starting at Duncannon, an activity to incorporate into a weekend hike, a destination in itself or a pleasant break for Penn State students or their parents headed toward State College from points in the southeast.
Funny you should mention the Saw-Whet Owl as I was just about to.
Sitting in my humble abode one evening several years ago the strangest noise from outside caught my attention. Sounded like someone handsawing a board.
Went out to investigate just before dark and there in the same Oak tree as the Barred Owl was recently sat a Saw Whet Owl, the first for me.
It stayed around for about a week before moving on. I hear New Hampshire has a good population of them.
SNOWY OWLS were reported at two localities in Portland. One of
these was by the soccer field at Back Cove. The second sighting was by the
Million Dollar Bridge where the SNOWY OWL was being harrassed and chased by
a PEREGRINE FALCON. A third SNOWY OWL sighting was from Wood Island at
Biddeford Pool.
I thought this was odd at first Snowys being in a city setting and then read that they find such areas around airports in particular similar to their natural tundra terrain. Who would have thought?
The IBA in my township I recently mentioned in another thread features managed grasslands attractive to boreal species which overwinter here. Overwintering and migrating boreal species are often sighted in The Green Diamond's pastures and add an interesting dimension to Berks County birding.
As I am able, I will post more on this subject in another thread.
Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art is located not far from the AT near Duncannon.
MapQuest indicates NSCNA is 18 miles and 35 minutes from Doyle Hotel.
Click on the link to learn more about upcoming events (http://www.nedsmithcenter.org/06events.html).
Cornell has a range map and other interesting info (http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Northern_Saw-whet_Owl_dtl.html) for the Saw-Whet Owls. They are certainly more wide spread than I would have guessed. A Robin sized Owl, how cool is that.
Have heard on a couple trips to the ME AT the "who cooks for you" call of the Barred Owl. Typically in the lower mature hard wood zones.
woodsy, the saw-whets are back. Click for information (http://ofafeather.blogspot.com/2008/03/no-rest-for-weary.html).
woodsy, the saw-whets are back. Click for information (http://ofafeather.blogspot.com/2008/03/no-rest-for-weary.html). :cool:The saw-whets have the gang running, LOL
My Barred Owl has been back too, poor fella was sitting in the tree well after dark in a driving rain one night waiting patiently for a meal.