Greetings: Thought you'd be interested in this information shared by a New York friend, close to the "Pale Male & Lola" scenario and her friend, Gerry Rising.
Enjoy! Happy Birding! Stan Merrill Apple Valley, Dakota Co. ***************** --- KimMarie Markel <[email protected]> wrote: > From: "KimMarie Markel" <[email protected]> > To: "Stan" <[email protected]> > Subject: Rare owls are on the wing this winter > Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2005 17:50:51 -0500 > > Hi Stan, > thought you might find this interesting - or a good > column to share with your Minnesota birders. > > One of my favorite local weekly columnists wrote a nice > piece about owls traveling southward this winter - > http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20050116/3016036.asp > I'm including it in full because he is very generous > about allowing his work to be shared. If you want to read past columns by Mr. Rising he has his own > website: http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~insrisg/nature/ - > lots of interesting nature topics are covered in the archives. > > kimmarie :] ************************* > NATURE WATCH > Rare owls are on the wing this winter > By GERRY RISING > > 1/16/2005 > > The large owls most often seen on the Niagara Frontier in > winter are the great horned owl, short-eared owl and long-eared owl. > This year, however, may prove quite different. > Occasionally conditions in the boreal forests and tundra > of northern Canada cause other owls to move south, and we have rare opportunities to see them. > These uncommon large owl species are snowy owl, hawk owl > and great gray owl. > > The specific conditions that initiate these incursions > are not well known. > They may in fact be different in different years. In one > recent year, for example, apparently a lack of food caused the movement, because many starving owls were brought to rehabilitators. Because the diet of these > birds is largely voles - those little mammals that most > of us call field mice - the cyclically changing populations of the tiny rodents probably have > much to do with these owl incursions. > > Something like the following scenario may occur: In one > winter the mouse population peaks and well-fed owls respond by raising large broods of young > that year. By the following winter, the resulting > overpopulation of owls has > caused the mouse population to crash and available > hunting grounds to be depleted. Excess birds have to seek new territories, and the fortunate ones move south. > > Early evidence this year, however, suggests that the > cause may be something else, because many birds that have already appeared have been in good condition. > > Whatever the cause, hundreds of rare owls are moving into > southern Canada and the northern United States this winter. In Minnesota, for example, by > the end of 2004, over 200 hawk owls had been reported, as > were more than 1,300 of the still rarer great gray owls. The situation in Canada north of Lake Ontario is similar. > > What is best for those who enjoy observing unusual birds > is the fact that these owls are unaccustomed to humans and are little bothered by us. They > usually simply sit and peer at you as you approach. > Because of this and their large size, they are often photographed. You can see many of them, > like the superb ones by Canadians Judy Eberspaecher and > Dave Mills appearing here, on the Ontario Field Naturalists' Web site, > http://www.ofo.ca/photos/. > > The most common of these three owls and the easiest to > identify is the snowy owl, our only largely white owl. It is often seen sitting on the ground > around airports or on perches along the Niagara River and > the shores of Lakes Erie and Ontario. Sometimes, however, they visit the city or suburbs, > where they pose majestically on building roofs. > > Like the snowy owl, the hawk owl is active in daytime. As > the name suggests, it is hawk-like and thus unlikely to be confused with other owls. It is > usually seen scanning for prey from atop a tree or > telephone pole. Its relatively long tail, whitish facial disk outlined with black and falcon > shape further identify it. The smallest of these three > species, its fluffed-out feathers make it appear much larger than a crow. > > By far the biggest-appearing of all North American owls > is the great gray owl. In bulk it is almost eagle-sized; however, this appearance, like that > of all owls, is deceptive. The great gray owl weighs only > two to three pounds, its thick, deep feathering giving it both insulation and its larger > profile. In fact, less bulky snowy owls and great horned > owls weigh more. > This large woodland owl shows a distinctive white > mustache spreading from just below its bill. > > As these and other boreal species move south from > northern Ontario, they meet the Great Lakes and tend to accumulate north of them. For that reason > we don't usually see them in this region. This year, > however, with so many on the move, the chances are greater that some will make it to the Niagara Frontier. __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The all-new My Yahoo! - What will yours do? http://my.yahoo.com
