D.F.O. Monthly Meeting Scott Rashid and Small Mountain Owls Note day & date change! Tuesday, October 19, 2010 Note meeting location change! DMNS Planetarium (use west doors) Denver Museum of Nature and Science 7:30 p.m.
What DFO birder doesn’t love owls? We love hearing and seeing Great Horned Owls, Long and Short-eared Owls, Barn and Burrowing Owls; owls hunting, hooting, nesting or resting. We love their silent flight, their blinking yellow or black eyes when they are discovered roosting on a sunny summer day, their expertly camouflaged nests, and their fluffy little owlets. We think of these efficient predators as creatures of the night, and most of Colorado’s owls are, though a portion of the world’s 200+ species of owls are crepuscular or diurnal. North America is home to 19 species of owls, and as Scott Rashid writes, “10...are considered either medium or large owls, with the largest being more than two feet from head to tail. The rest are considered small, with the smallest being the size of a bluebird.” The large owls are amazing, but the small mountain owls are even more wonderful in the eyes of many birders. Colorado is home to the tiny Flammulated Owl, one of Colorado’s most common migratory birds of prey in some areas; the aggressive predator the Northern Pygmy-Owl; the very approachable Northern Saw-whet Owl; and finally the higher altitude Boreal Owl. Many owl encounters are pure serendipity, but the hope of experiencing small owls in the wild can cause otherwise sane birders to rush off into the veil of darkness, stumbling over fallen tree trunks and downed branches, or to plow through deep snow up steep hillsides in hopes of catching a glimpse of one of these magical little birds. Scott Rashid fell under their spell with his first sighting of a Great Horned Owl over 25 years ago. He moved to Colorado in 1989 and began banding, photographing, and studying birds with a passion. He has worked on species as diverse as rosy finches, Band-tailed Pigeons, Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, American Kestrels, Northern Goshawks and small owls. Shortly after his arrival in Colorado he started assisting a researcher with his work on Boreal Owls and a number of other native bird species. This led Scott to undertake his own study of Northern Pygmy Owls. It has grown from there... In 2002 he illustrated Scott Roederer’s book Birding Rocky Mountain National Park. His illustration of the Wilson’s Snipe graces the cover of the Wilson Journal of Ornithology. When painting hawks and owls, Scott works primarily in watercolor, and numerous of his works of art are found in private collections throughout North American and Europe. Scott lives in Estes Park where he has maintained a banding station at the YMCA of the Rockies since 1997. He focuses much of his work on the birds in and around Rocky Mountain National Park, and has also been a bird rehabilitator. His most recent work is his book Small Mountain Owls which was published in 2009 by Schiffer Publishing Ltd. Here he writes about the lives and distributions of Flammulated, Pygmy, Saw-whet, and Boreal Owls. He covers their anatomy, vocalizations, courtship and nesting behavior, egg laying, hunting habits, diets, longevity, and much more. The book is liberally illustrated with his own photographs and paintings. For the benefit and enjoyment of the DFO audience, Scott will share stories of his work with owls from his 25+ years in the field, and hopefully he will share some secrets for finding these elusive little creatures. Show up at the October DFO meeting with your copy of Small Mountain Owls and Lynn Willcockson will see to it that you get your book autographed by Scott (or by Lynn) that night. NOTE: Scott will have books and cards to sell. Sales would be either cash or check. We do not have capabilities for credit cards. And he will be glad to sign books members have already purchased so - bring them. Future Meetings November 22, 2010 Kevin Cook -- Falcons and Parrots: Newly Discovered Peculiarities in the Birds’ Family Tree December 2010 NO DFO MEETING. Please plan to participate in the Denver Christmas Count and/or as many of the other Christmas Bird Counts around the state as you can! Directions The Denver Field Ornithologists monthly meetings are held in Ricketson Auditorium (THE PLANETARIUM THIS MONTH!) at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science in City Park. These meetings are free and open to the public and occur on the 4th Monday of each month August through April (except December). Park on the north side of the Museum and walk around and enter through the Museum's west door. Plan to arrive by 7:15 p.m.; DOORS OPEN BY 7:00 AND ARE LOCKED AT 7:30 P.M. If late, you can enter through the security/volunteer door, but this does create problems for our hosts at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Submitted by Chris A. 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