Well said, Scott, but I'm betting it's not anyone who subscribes to this List that was/is misbehaving. It is still a GREAT reminder for ALL of us as we approach the courting, mating, and nesting season for a great majority of birds.
Susan Rosine Brighton On Sat, Mar 5, 2022, 11:46 AM Scott <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi Everyone. > > I have been studying Northern Pygmy-Owls for more than 20 years. I do > not care in the least about who is getting images of the owl in Lyons. > > My concern is for the birds themselves. To give some natural history of > Northern Pygmy-Owls > > They begin courtship in mid-February, which some of you have seen. Their > territories can be as large as a square mile. They will mate anywhere > within that area at anytime from mid-February until they begin nesting > which is often from late April to late May. > > The male will find a cavity that he likes and try to entice the female > to accept it. This is when I feel problems may occur as people will > want images of this. > > This is the one of the most crucial time for the owls. If at anytime > after the female has accepted the nest until the eggs hatch she can > abandon the nest if she does not feel safe. If she does this the male > will have to find another site that she likes, which can be several > hundred yards away. > > Another problem that I can see arising is all of the people near the > owl. There are so many Cooper's Hawk around now that they can become a > problem and predate the owls, as they will be watching people to see > what they may be looking at, because it may be a potential prey item for > the hawk. This can be particularity problematic when the owls are > spending more time looking at people with cameras rather than keeping an > eye out for both potential prey and predators. > > Another very sensitive time is when the young begin peering from their > nest. If people are watching the owlets in the nest, this can attract > potential predators to the nest which includes squirrels that can > predate the young in the nest. > > Once out of the nest the young owls are also vulnerable to predation > from jays, magpies, crows, squirrels and hawks as they will be > frightened by people trying to get photos of them and try to fly away. > > I would recommend that everyone leaves the birds alone after the > beginning of April and let them nest and raise their family in peace. > > Just my thoughts, > > Scott Rashid > Director of CARRI > > -- > This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. > https://www.avast.com/antivirus > > -- > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups "Colorado Birds" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en?hl=en > * All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city. Include > bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate > * Join Colorado Field Ornithologists https://cobirds.org/CFO/Membership/ > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Colorado Birds" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/26887e4b-befa-ed86-c6f5-a5ee3c1a8544%40frii.com > . > -- -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en?hl=en * All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city. Include bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate * Join Colorado Field Ornithologists https://cobirds.org/CFO/Membership/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CACPnx8Wc0iUF1LLiZcwdezRuKcoui-ykL-KEDpRiV0%2Bhgcxu_w%40mail.gmail.com.
