[CT Birds] Owl Reports

[Clay Taylor]

All -

I have to respectfully disagree with Roy on one point - owls in the fall, 
including Long-eared, Short-eared, Saw-whet, and any other owl species that 
is found in an unusual place (where they are not normally found) are 
migrating, and they will be gone the next morning.  We banded many owls in 
the Hammonasset Cedars in the fall, and at Braddock Bay, NY in the spring, 
and almost NEVER caught the same bird again, and definitely NEVER at the 
same perch / tree.   One year in NY we caught a Saw-whet from the same perch 
on three consecutive mornings, and each was a different bird - the perch was 
simply a "perfect" roosting place (kind of like a highway Rest Area).

Well into November and even December they are moving through our area (it's 
even possible that some are heading back north after a southerly incursion) 
and they simply do not stick around unless the nighttime weather is not 
conducive for traveling (snow / sleet / etc.).    Viewing any of these 
migrants from a respectful distance is not harmful in any way, and it won't 
mess up their energy budgets.   Driving them off their perches, or pursuing 
them through the woods in order to get a better look, photos, etc., is a 
breach of Birding Ethics, but not necessarily harmful to the bird.   We 
would often find Saw-whets at Hammo with a freshly-killed mouse or vole in 
its talons, saving it for a late-day snack before taking off the next 
evening.

Later into the fall and early winter, a true "winter roost" is easy to 
identify - whitewash below, pellets, etc.   At that point, when the 
available food supply and the winter conditions are likely to be stressing 
the bird more than normal, any human disturbance will likely be harmful to 
the bird.

I bring this up to let the newer birders on this list in on an little "CT 
birder secret" - in the fall, on the first Full Moon after about 
October10th, there will ALWAYS be Saw-whet Owls found at coastal locations 
with groves of Red Cedar or pine trees.   We (Jim Zipp, Brian Wheeler, 
myself, and others) discovered this link to owl migration back in the 80's, 
and I can still see tha look of amazement and disbelief when I mentioned 
this at a Menunkatuck Audubon program I was giving.   I must have had a 
dozen phone calls in the next few days, confirming what I had told them. 
Well, yeah....  It was not too long afterward that we found the Boreal Owl 
in the Cedars at Hammo (Gerry Connolly found it, I ID'd it).

 I think that it is unfair that the "regulars" get phone calls or off-list 
e-mails about migrating Saw-whets, but the general birding public doesn't 
know about this aspect of CT Birding.   Mark your calendars, and show a 
little respect when viewing a roosting owl - if not for the owl itself, then 
for the next birder that wants to see it.

And yes, in the Spirit of Full Disclosure, I once hand-caught a Saw-whet at 
Hammo simply because I could.   Younger and stupider back then, I suppose.

I'm off to CA today, so everybody get ready for a Ross' Gull this weekend, 
;-)

Clay Taylor
Moodus, CT
ctaylor at att.net



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Roy Harvey" <rmharvey at snet.net>
To: <ctbirds at lists.ctbirding.org>
Sent: Tuesday, March 25, 2008 9:36 PM
Subject: [CT Birds] Owl Reports


> Since it is nesting season or soon will be for our resident owls I
> think I need to remind everyone of one of the few rules of CTBirds.
>
> "Some birds should not be posted for the good of the bird. This
> includes day-roosting owls - Eastern Screech, Great Horned, Barred,
> Long-eared and Northern Saw-whet. It also includes nesting birds,
> particularly directions to nests."
>
> When we were only getting posts of owls calling it didn't seem like a
> big deal.  Now that reports are mentioning day roosting owls, and
> even sometimes giving some information on their location, that is not
> acceptable.  Please refrain from all posts about owl sightings until
> fall, after which we can allow reports of calling owls again for a
> few months.
>
> Note that Snowy Owls and Short-eared Owls, being open country birds
> that are often active during the day and can generally be observed
> from a distance, are exempt from this rule.
>
> Thanks!
>
> Roy Harvey
> Beacon Falls, CT
>
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