[NatureNS] NOS - a great night for ambiance

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From: Richard Stern <sternrichard@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 5 May 2017 20:26:01 -0300
To: NatureNS <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
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I have run my owl survey for many years now - nearly always with Bernard
Forsythe - who probably knows more about owls than anyone else in the
Province, and more recently with Rick Whitman as well - an excellent set of
ears. I nearly always do it in late April, and on a night with light winds
- so reasonably comparable conditions.. There has been a steady and
progressive decline in the number and variety of owls, which I rightly or
wrongly ascribe to the increasing amount of clear cutting and logging going
on there (the South mountain above and behind Falmouth). At a recent BNS
meeting Bob Bancroft showed an alarming slide of a stylized aerial view of
the increasing amount of clear cuts in that area over the last few years.
This is not a scientific study, but an n=1 personal observation, but I
suspect there's a connection, as there are progressively fewer places in
that area for owls to roost and nest.

On Fri, May 5, 2017 at 5:03 PM, Susann Myers <myerss@eastlink.ca> wrote:

> 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.
>
> 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 <randy.lauff@gmail.com>
> *Sent:* Friday, May 05, 2017 9:21 AM
> *To:* NatureNS <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
> *Subject:* [NatureNS] NOS - a great night for ambiance
>
> Last night I ran my Nocturnal Owl Survey (http://www.birdscanada.org/vo
> lunteer/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.
>
> Oh well, as I tell my students, "zeroes are data, too."
>
> Randy
> _________________________________
> RF Lauff
> Way in the boonies of
> Antigonish County, NS.
>



-- 
#################
Richard Stern,
Port Williams, NS, Canada
sternrichard@gmail.com
###################

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<div dir=3D"ltr">I have run my owl survey for many years now - nearly alway=
s with Bernard Forsythe - who probably knows more about owls than anyone el=
se in the Province, and more recently with Rick Whitman as well - an excell=
ent set of ears. I nearly always do it in late April, and on a night with l=
ight winds - so reasonably comparable conditions.. There has been a steady =
and progressive decline in the number and variety of owls, which I rightly =
or wrongly ascribe to the increasing amount of clear cutting and logging go=
ing on there (the South mountain above and behind Falmouth). At a recent BN=
S meeting Bob Bancroft showed an alarming slide of a stylized aerial view o=
f the increasing amount of clear cuts in that area over the last few years.=
 This is not a scientific study, but an n=3D1 personal observation, but I s=
uspect there&#39;s a connection, as there are progressively fewer places in=
 that area for owls to roost and nest.<div class=3D"gmail_extra"><br><div c=
lass=3D"gmail_quote">On Fri, May 5, 2017 at 5:03 PM, Susann Myers <span dir=
=3D"ltr">&lt;<a href=3D"mailto:myerss@eastlink.ca" target=3D"_blank">myerss=
@eastlink.ca</a>&gt;</span> wrote:<br><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" sty=
le=3D"margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><u></u=
>



<div style=3D"PADDING-LEFT:10px;PADDING-RIGHT:10px;PADDING-TOP:15px" id=3D"=
m_-6855904968530619327m_-2203733452621233907MailContainerBody" name=3D"Comp=
ose message area">
<div><font face=3D"Calibri">Like you, Randy, I ran my owl survey last night=
 - my=20
route=C2=A0is at Earltown.=C2=A0 This runs through great habitat, and surve=
yors=20
have often=C2=A0had counts of over 20 owls in past years.</font></div>
<div><font face=3D"Calibri"></font>=C2=A0</div>
<div><font face=3D"Calibri">Despite the bright half moon and light winds at=
 the=20
start of the survey, I wasn&#39;t expecting great results on this survey, b=
ecause=20
winds had been strong through the day, only becoming light in this location=
 in=20
late evening.=C2=A0 In my experience, the owls don&#39;t sit up to do terri=
torial=20
calling unless they&#39;ve first had successful hunting in=C2=A0the afterno=
on and=20
evening,