Hi Scott, Some additional thoughts. One thought is the cyclic nature of the populations of small owls including E. Screech-Owl, thus the species may be in a low population cycle (due to a loss of prey species, predators) and it could rebound. With the continuing urbanization of the Front Range, Boulder's habitats may be increasing isolated from regions that support possibly more stable populations of this species. New recruits may not be finding their way into suitable habitats around Boulder. I also think I personally seeing a continuing loss of mature cottonwoods in the Boulder/St. Vrain Creek drainages, further limiting potential nest sites for this species. There once were stands of cottonwoods that seemed to provide a dense closed canopy along the creek. Now it seems like only crack willows remain in places where I use to detect E. Screech-Owls in cottonwood stands.
Time will tell. An interesting subject. Best, Scott Severs Longmont -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to cobi...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en.
