Perhaps of interest. Jim Williams, Wayzata Begin forwarded message:
From: "Mark & Sue Foote-Maritn" <[email protected]> Date: February 24, 2005 9:01:53 PM CST To: "Wisconsin Birding Network" <[email protected]> Subject: [wisb] great gray owl trapping Hi We learned that Bruce Bacon (DNR Wildlife Manager at Mercer) banded 5 great grays where we saw 25 last weekend between Grantsburg and Siren on Hwy. D. We asked him how he trapped the owls and thought you might be interested in how he catches them. We saw a great gray 3 miles south of Goose Pond late afternoon today on the Dane/Columbia County line. Mark and Sue Martin Arlington From: "Bacon, Bruce R." <[email protected]> Subject: RE: great gray trapping Hi, Just like in the book... A lab mouse is gently tossed into the snow about 4 to 5 feet in front of bander, who is holding a large musky landing net. I usually "hide" the net behind me or off to one side. Mouse MOVEMENT and NOISE is what triggers the owl's hunting instincts. They will look at the bander but often not, as if you are not even there. If your mouse doesn't move (snow, cold, etc) you nudge it with the net or pick it up and toss it closer to the owl. As you can see, there is a fair amount of movement by the bander and the owls certainly see the net. If I have a mouse who's on a lunch break, I put it back in the bucket and try a different mouse. Movement by the mouse is the key. Black mice work best on winter owls. White mice work fine on hawks in summer. Once the owl decides its lunch time, you can tell from their behavior. You then wait for the owl to "plunge" onto the mouse, at the same time tossing the net over the owl. For the mouse lovers out there, I have yet to have an owl talon the mouse as the owl's attention is diverted to the net at the last split second and the mouse just gets pushed into the snow. For those who feel the owl diserves a mouse dinner, once handled and banded they will not take a mouse as you release the owl. They drop the mouse just as some birds defecate on release, "to lighten the load" on escape. Often the Great Grays upon release fly back to the same perch you caught it off. I have already had one banded GGO reported recovered to the USFWS Banding Lab and am waiting HOW RECOVERED info. Unfortunately it will likely be "road-kill". I also recaptured and released a GGO south of Oliver, WI that was banded earlier this winter in Minnesota. It may be possible from the larger number of owls banded in Minn and my small sample to get some info on population size from mark (birds banded)-recapture (road-kills and recaptures)information? We will get info on owl movements. Bruce ############################## This message is sent to you because you are subscribed to the mailing list <[email protected]>. To UNSUBSCRIBE, E-mail to <[email protected]> To switch to the DIGEST mode, E-mail to <[email protected]> Send administrative QUERIES, E-mail to <[email protected]>
