Having tried several times recently - and unsuccessfully - for Short-
eared Owls, and having heard that a couple were sighted recently on
Morgan Road, I drove north this afternoon to see what I could find. I
had a good conversation with Frank Morlock at the DEC headquarters. He
reported trapping two SEOWs two days before and having seen more than
that in the vicinity. He mentioned that his watch usually began at
5:15, and that the first owls showed up at around 5:30.
With half an hour to kill, I drove over to Van Dyne Spoor Rd
("Sandhill Crane Unit"). I was rewarded with two SEOWs foraging over
the far SW dike at 5:10. At that point I spoke with Dave Nutter who,
with Ann Mitchell, was headed to Morgan Rd. Since I figured there
would be good coverage there, I raced across town to try and reach
Seneca Meadows before dark. I got there in plenty of time, walked out
to a spot overlooking the huge north meadow, and waited. At 5:40 the
first SEOW showed up and was soon joined by a second. They foraged out
to the west and then the north, occasionally dropping out of sight
into the vegetation for 5 minutes or so. Another SEOW came in from the
south, followed by a Red-tailed Hawk. The hawk eventually perched at
the edge of the far woods, and the owl continued to work back and
forth until I left at around 6:10.
I spoke once more with Dave, who reported some unbelievable number of
owls at Morgan Road. I look forward to reading his post!
Bob McGuire
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