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Index of Subjects This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0039_01D2C5C1.7851C330 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Like you, Randy, I ran my owl survey last night - my route is at = Earltown. This runs through great habitat, and surveyors have often had = counts of over 20 owls in past years. Despite the bright half moon and light winds at the start of the survey, = I wasn't expecting great results on this survey, because winds had been = strong through the day, only becoming light in this location in late = evening. In my experience, the owls don't sit up to do territorial = calling unless they've first had successful hunting in the afternoon and = evening, and they didn't get that in yesterday's winds. The results bore out this idea. I had only one very brief call from a = Barred Owl in the first seven stops. Then after 11:00 p.m., when winds = had been light for about 3 hours, I began to hear owls. I had five = Great Horned Owls calling in the last 3 stops, two pairs and a single, = all giving quiet contact calls. Also, one Barred Owl flew in after the = second Barred playback, giving Who-cooks-for-you calls. After 7 quiet = stops, it was wonderful to hear owls. Unfortunately, we can't wait for an ideal night. With a week of rain = forecast, I needed to get my survey done while I could. I don't like to = do a survey on a less-than-perfect night, because I don't think that the = level of analysis given to survey results is adequate to identify and = adjust for issues such as afternoon wind speeds. Without that level of = analysis, however, how meaningful is the data in monitoring population = trends? Like Randy, I had an enjoyable night apart from owl results. A fox = crossed the road at dusk, I saw Snowshoe Hare and deer, Woodcock were = peenting at a few stops and one was sitting in the road, and I had one = snipe winnowing, as well as a Ruffed Grouse drumming in bright moonlight = at the final stop. Pretty idyllic. =20 Human disturbance was a factor, this year. The road, which is not = plowed in winter, had some condition issues, including a washout on a = sharp corner above a very steep drop into a ravine. A couple of = residents who know me from past years took on the (unnecessary) = responsibility of protecting me from this hazard, and wound up making a = great deal of noise and disturbance at two stops. Hard to complain = about such caring behavior, though! Also, in its own way, pretty = idyllic. Cheers, Susann Myers From: Randy Lauff=20 Sent: Friday, May 05, 2017 9:21 AM To: NatureNS=20 Subject: [NatureNS] NOS - a great night for ambiance Last night I ran my Nocturnal Owl Survey = (http://www.birdscanada.org/volunteer/atowls/) under ideal conditions = (low-no wind, very bright half moon, very little run-off noise) with a = student, Danny MacDonald who had not yet seen an owl in the wild. We had = grouse, snipe, woodcock, porcupine and a not so distant pack of coyotes, = but not a single owl.=20 Oh well, as I tell my students, "zeroes are data, too." Randy _________________________________ RF Lauff Way in the boonies of Antigonish County, NS. ------=_NextPart_000_0039_01D2C5C1.7851C330 Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META content=3Dtext/html;charset=3Dutf-8 http-equiv=3DContent-Type> <META name=3DGENERATOR content=3D"MSHTML 8.00.6001.23588"></HEAD> <BODY style=3D"PADDING-LEFT: 10px; PADDING-RIGHT: 10px; PADDING-TOP: = 15px"=20 id=3DMailContainerBody leftMargin=3D0 topMargin=3D0 = CanvasTabStop=3D"true"=20 name=3D"Compose message area"> <DIV><FONT face=3DCalibri>Like you, Randy, I ran my owl survey last = night - my=20 route is at Earltown. This runs through great habitat, and = surveyors=20 have often had counts of over 20 owls in past years.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DCalibri></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DCalibri>Despite the bright half moon and light winds = at the=20 start of the survey, I wasn't expecting great results on this survey, = because=20 winds had been strong through the day, only becoming light in this = location in=20 late evening. In my experience, the owls don't sit up to do = territorial=20 calling unless they've first had successful hunting in the = afternoon and=20 evening, and they didn't get that in yesterday's winds.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DCalibri></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DCalibri>The results bore out this idea. I had = only one=20 very brief call from a Barred Owl in the first seven stops. Then = after=20 11:00 p.m., when winds had been light for about 3 hours, I began to hear = owls. I had five Great Horned Owls calling in the last 3 stops, = two pairs=20 and a single, all giving quiet contact calls. Also, one Barred = Owl=20 flew in after the second Barred playback, giving Who-cooks-for-you = calls. =20 After 7 quiet stops, it was wonderful to hear owls.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DCalibri></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DCalibri>Unfortunately, we can't wait for an ideal = night. =20 With a week of rain forecast, I needed to get my survey done = while I=20 could. I don't like to do a survey on a less-than-perfect night, = because I=20 don't think that the level of analysis given to survey results is = adequate to=20 identify and adjust for issues such as afternoon wind speeds. = Without=20 that level of analysis, however, how meaningful is the data in = monitoring=20 population trends?</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DCalibri></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DCalibri>Like Randy, I had an enjoyable night apart = from owl=20 results. A fox crossed the road at dusk, I saw Snowshoe Hare and = deer,=20 Woodcock were peenting at a few stops and one was sitting in the road, = and I had=20 one snipe winnowing, as well as a Ruffed Grouse drumming in bright = moonlight at=20 the final stop. Pretty idyllic. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DCalibri></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DCalibri>Human disturbance was a factor, this = year. =20 The road, which is not plowed in winter, had some condition issues, = including a=20 washout on a sharp corner above a very steep drop into a ravine. A = couple=20 of residents who know me from past years took on the = (unnecessary)=20 responsibility of protecting me from this hazard, and wound up making a = great=2