Date: 12/17/12 8:05 am
From: Chris Wright <chriswright6...>
Subject: Re: [MDBirding] Assateague Saw-whet Owl


Keith: Please don't apologize for your post. Us armchair ornithologists learn a lot from these conversations. Wish I'd known to check the breast muscle of a dead Redtail a neighbor brought me last year. Thanks for your question (and Kathy's response).

Chris
Sent from my iPhone

On Dec 17, 2012, at 7:35 AM, Keith Costley <oriolekec1...> wrote:

> Thank you responding Kathy. Starvation did not enter my mind. I known the life and death struggle plays out everyday (and night); but it's hard for me imagine anything sneaking up on a independent owl.
>
> Although I would love to learn more and your response provided that. I'm an idiot for posting this message to MDBirding -- I'm very sorry.
>
> Be well,
> KEC
>
>
> On Dec 17, 2012, at 5:48 AM, <kmlathroum...> wrote:
>
>> Is it possible that the intact saw whet starved? You can tell by checking the pectoral muscles if the breast bone is very sharp and protruding then the bird didn't have much muscle. I do recall from my days at frostburg when Dave brinker was banding saw whets at Finzel Swamp a marauding Barred Owl which killed several saw whets in the mist nets
>>
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>> On 12/16/12, Keith Costley wrote:
>>
>> I had a couple of minutes to visit the shell road on Assateague yesterday. Unfortunately my search for a Saw-whet Owl produced one intact dead Saw-whet and a pile of feathers that may have been another. Of course I'm very curious about which predator would attack and kill a wintering Saw-whet then leave it like that.
>>
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>> Keith Eric Costley
>> <OrioleKEC1...>
>> Randallstown, Baltimore County, MD
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