Thanks for the input on the snowies.
Had a bunch of finches until the Northern Shrike arrived. Once a shrike
sees the finches, it come in and the finches leave.
I don't expect any significant numbers of rosy-finches until the shrikes
leave in March.
Just the way it goes.
Scott
On 1/21/2018 5:39 PM, Peter Burke wrote:
Hi Scott,
I’ve had a few experiences with Snowies during east coast irruptions
and noticed that they often chose large bodies of water or coastal
areas as daytime hangouts. My working theory was that they prefer the
unobstructed view, perhaps
because it makes them feel safe when they snooze during the daytime.
Did you get a big Rosy-Finch flock with this weather?
Peter
/From Peter's iPhone/
On Jan 21, 2018, at 8:04 AM, Scott <[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
Hi all,
I have been thinking about the Snowy Owls that have been seen in
Colorado, and am thinking that most, if not all of them have been
seen near open water. The one at Stanley Lake, the one that Nick
Komar saw near Carter Lake etc.
At least the one at Stanley Lake did not appear to be feeding on the
waterfowl, but rather small mammals that it was catching in the
meadows around the lake. (I did hear that the owl did catch a pigeon,
but that was not confirmed).
Now the owls that are at Boulder, also at a lake.
If the owls were at these bodies of water feeding upon waterfowl,
there would be piles of feathers found, but that does not appear to
be the case.
Therefore, my guess is that the Snowy Owls are near the water simply
to bathe. By bathing they can keep their plumage clean, which will
subsequently keep the birds in good feather condition.
If there had been a significant amount of snow on the ground, the
owls would be able to "wash" themselves by using snow; but due to the
lack of snow, the owls need to use water to clean themselves.
It will be interesting to see if the owls move away from these bodies
of water as the snow falls.
Just a thought,
Scott Rashid
Estes Park
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