[NatureNS] banding demonstration for barred owls, Wolfville Ridge

Date: Wed, 09 May 2007 10:39:31 -0300
From: Jim Wolford <jimwolford@eastlink.ca>
To: NatureNS <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
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May 8, 2007 - This evening was chosen by Bernard Forsythe for BANDING his
three nestling BARRED OWLS in his back-yard nest-box on Wolfville Ridge.
The local grapevine resulted in about 40 people and 15 cars there for the
event.  After a brief introduction about the owls, he donned his hard-hat
with facial shield and climbed his ladder with a cardboard box.  When he
lifted the lid off the nest-box, one of the adult owls (female?) swooped at
him several times and hit him at least once in the head -- I may have gotten
that on my camera -- and one adult gave a quavering call just once.  Then
the two adults, with the female clearly larger than the male, chose perches
adjacent to each other on bare limbs of a hardwood tree.

Bernard mentioned that the oldest nestling owlet, now about three weeks old,
is six days older than the youngest -- this reflects the laying intervals of
the eggs, since the female begins incubating when the first egg is laid.
Subsequent eggs come at about two-day intervals.

One of the baby owls managed to puncture Bernardıs firm but gentle hand
during the handling for banding.  The children present seemed to enjoy
Bernardıs bleeding.  Also, in the cardboard box for transporting the owlets,
one of the larger babies laid on its back for a long time, showing its
weapons, i.e. talons.

About two weeks ago the adult owls had accumulated lots of surplus prey
items, mostly meadow voles (up to 30 at once, mostly beheaded) plus
goldfinch, song sparrow, etc., in the nest-box with the youngsters.  But
tonight all the surplus items were gone -- just imagine how many prey items
are devoured per day now.

About 8-10 CROWS put on a bit of a show mobbing the adult owls during and
after the banding operation.

Bernard told us a few more updates on BARRED OWLS: (1) including his
back-yard owls, he is monitoring 12 occupied barred owl boxes, and clutches
of eggs this year were large (3-4 eggs often) and very early, started at
about March 20; (2) in a nest-box near White Rock he found a dead
adult-plumaged smallish (probably male) SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (this was a first
for Bernard) -- he wonders if the hawk was territorial and badgering the owl
before it was killed?; and (3) in that same White Rock box, he had a female
that wouldnıt leave the box, so he reached under her to find out what she
was brooding, and he felt a BAND on its leg -- the band was his own, having
been put on the owl eight years previously in 1998 on Melanson Mountain, 8
km. away in a straight-line measurement.


This evening and the whole day before were so warm that there were quite a
number of hungry female MOSQUITOES about and biting.  Also we saw blooming
MAYFLOWERS and leaves of transplanted ?DOWNY RATTLESNAKE-PLANTAIN ORCHIDS on
his forest-floor.
--------------------
Cheers from Jim in Wolfville, 542-9204

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