you beat me to it by a few minutes. The string is noteworthy for the inclusion, yet again, of real studies with real data, viewed in the context of evolution and natural selection, rather than just conjecture.
On 12/8/13, Ardith Bondi <ard...@earthlink.net> wrote: > I think this discussion is worthy of posting for NYSBirders as well. > > Ardith Bondi > > > -------- Original Message -------- > Subject: Re: [JERSEYBI] My Take on Snowy Owl > Date: Sun, 8 Dec 2013 12:58:46 -0500 > From: Steve Mattan <stevemat...@comcast.net> > Reply-To: Steve Mattan <stevemat...@comcast.net> > To: jerse...@lists.princeton.edu > > With respect to this comment by Phil Jeffery (full email below): > > "It's also the case that a lot of these Snowy's are in bad shape, and being > pushed around costs energy which has impact on mortality." > > This may be of interest (from an email thread not unlike this one on > PABIRDS): > >> From: Scott Weidensaul <scottweidens...@verizon.net> >> Date: December 8, 2013 at 7:44:40 AM EST >> To: pabi...@list.audubon.org >> Subject: Re: [PABIRDS] Snowy Owls and caution >> Reply-To: Scott Weidensaul <scottweidens...@verizon.net> >> >> While John's comments come from the very best place - concern for the >> birds - I'm afraid he's repeating a very common and widespread myth about >> snowy owls, one that even many scientists and top birders believe: that >> they're struggling to survive down here. >> >> In fact, the research shows the opposite - that starvation is a fairly >> rare fate for most of the snowy owls that come south. Norman Smith in >> Massachusetts, for example, has satellite tagged 20 snowies for his >> 30-year study. Fifteen returned to the Arctic, and of the four that died, >> three were shot and one was hit by a plane. None starved. In the 1980s, >> Paul Kerlinger and his colleagues published a series of papers on snowy >> owls in the Great Plains, including a review of mortality. Again, they >> found that trauma was the leading cause, few starved, and more than half >> they studied actually carried moderate to heavy fat deposits. >> >> How did this myth get started? The fact is, a few snowies do starve when >> they come south, usually young, inexperienced birds. These sick and dying >> birds are the ones that people find, and the ones that get taken to rehab. >> The healthy ones move one and migrate back. And that happens within any >> cohort of migratory birds - yet few people express this kind of worry >> about disturbing, say, rough-legged hawks. >> >> What's more, it's not food shortages in the Arctic that spur these major >> flights - that's another myth. It appears that, as with major saw-whet owl >> flights, the cause is linked to *high* rodent populations during the >> breeding season, as well as a number of other factors like snow cover in >> the Arctic. Most of these flights are comprised of fat, healthy juveniles >> born this summer. This is the reverse of true irruptive species like great >> gray owls, where the major flights (like that into Minnesota a few years >> ago) are comprised mostly of adults forced south by poor food supplies. >> In those cases, starvation mortality is very high…but they're not snowy >> owls. >> >> I'm not arguing we all go out and relentlessly harass and chase snowy >> owls all over the landscape; John's cautions are well-placed. But it's >> important to be realistic about these birds, and recognize that they're >> not all teetering on the edge of starvation. >> >> Almost nothing is known about the winter ecology of snowy owls, which is >> why I and several colleagues are going to be conducting a major, >> multi-state study this winter employing next-generation GSM tags, which >> provide an unprecedented level of detail on the movements and behavior of >> these birds. More to come on that in the weeks ahead. >> >> Scott Weidensaul >> Schuylkill Haven, PA > > ---------------- > Steve Mattan > emailing from Philadelphia, PA > Visit my photoblog at http://recycledphotons.blogspot.com > >> On Dec 8, 2013, at 12:43 PM, Phil Jeffrey <phil.jeff...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> Unless you've completely ignored the diurnal thread, the Owls are >> expected >> to be largely roosting during the day and hunting at night, so you're >> pushing on a bird that basically wants to stay put. It's also the case >> that that Snowy and other owls, are particularly aware of raptor presence >> as potential predators and attempt to remain unobtrusive as a means of >> protection. It doesn't want to fly around the salt marsh advertising >> it's >> presence to whatever Harrier/Eagle/Red-tailed Hawk or Peregrine happens >> to >> be around. >> >> It's also the case that a lot of these Snowy's are in bad shape, and >> being >> pushed around costs energy which has impact on mortality. You should >> take >> a look at >> http://bashakillbirder.wordpress.com/2013/12/04/snowy-owl-going-to-rehab/about >> the Snowy that was basically picked up from the side of the road and >> taken to rehab. That behaved a LOT like the Snowy yesterday at Brig, >> which >> was abnormally tame. I really doubt that you were in a position to judge >> the condition of the roadside owl. >> >> Birds in zoos, and for that matter wild birds in parks, take their cues >> from how the surround birds react. You can find very tame birds in zoos >> because they've ceased regarding humans as potential predators. You can >> find moderately tame waterfowl in city parks that are wild birds that >> become accustomed to human approach. Neither of those situations apply >> to >> that owl at Brig. >> >> Phil Jeffrey >> Ewing >> >> >> >>> On Sun, Dec 8, 2013 at 12:13 PM, Brian Kushner <bkushn...@gmail.com> >>> wrote: >>> >>> First I will say that I agree 100% that nests of all birds need to be >>> protected. Birds in a nest cannot simply escape someone getting too >>> close. >>> However, when it comes to birds like the Snowy all over the tri state >>> area, >>> if someone gets close, can't the bird simply fly away? It's not captive, >>> it's not protecting a nest, it's not guarding offspring. >>> >>> Also, if the owl doesn't like these encounters, why even come close to >>> where the people are. They could simply set up someone else in the area. >>> I >>> find it ironic that everyone freaks about getting too close to the "rare >>> birds" but it's ok to get close to a Sparrow, Blue Jay or other common >>> bird. >>> >>> Seems to me that many birds build their nests close to people and >>> activity >>> when they could simply move a few yards and not be near people. >>> >>> With that said, as a photographer I would not walk right up to a bird, I >>> prefer some distance but I don't think there is major trauma from close >>> approaches. There are animals (Including many birds) in Zoos all over >>> that >>> are approached much closer without the ability to flee and they are not >>> dropping over dead from the stress. >>> >>> I seem to recall just this summer some of the same folks complaining >>> about >>> getting too close to birds, climbed up onto Osprey nests and took photos >>> of >>> each other posing with Osprey chicks in the nest. >>> >>> Brian >>> >>> List archives: https://lists.princeton.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=jerseybi >>> How to report NJ bird sightings: <http://www.njbrc.net/reportto.html> >> >> >> >> -- >> "If you lie to the compiler, it will get its revenge" >> - Henry Spencer >> >> List archives: https://lists.princeton.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=jerseybi >> How to report NJ bird sightings: <http://www.njbrc.net/reportto.html> > > List archives: https://lists.princeton.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=jerseybi > How to report NJ bird sightings: <http://www.njbrc.net/reportto.html> > > > > > -- > > NYSbirds-L List Info: > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm > > ARCHIVES: > 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html > 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L > 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html > > Please submit your observations to eBird: > http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ > > -- > -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
