Date: Mon, 22 Jan 2001 13:45:48 EST Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Steve Huy Subject: Owl Locations & finding owls Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit A great resource for finding owls is "How to Spot an Owl" by Pat & Clay Sutton. I just looked it up on Amazon.com and it sells for $12.80. As far as giving out owl locations it is good to be cautious. These birds are often sought after by birders as "rarities"; I believe because most birders are unwilling to truly put forth the effort to find them. When a regular is found it does sometimes get mobbed and bothered repeatedly. Some owls are more tolerant of people. Screech, barred and great horned see us all the time and tend to ignore all but the worst attention. A roosting owl will sometimes leave its roost and come back as soon as people leave; of course when this occurs it is often chased or the people stay and wait for it to return. Either action is disturbing the bird. Longears tend to be very skittish and take flight when they believe they are discovered. Saw-whets view us as nothing more than dumb harmless beasts and tend to stay put. Unfortunately I know of one area in Montgomery county that was famous for this species. Birders broke branches all around the roost for better photo ops and viewing. Needless to say, I haven't found saw-whets on that roost for several years. Longears and saw-whets both tend to pick places that people do not want to venture into and this helps to keep them hidden. They are also well camoflaged and can be dificult to see; even when you know they are there! I once found a pair of longears that I located by a mobing flock of passerines. They were in a thin strip of white pines and only about twelve feet from a roadside. I could not see them and crawled, on my belly in the mud, under some sort of thorny bush and briars to get closer. Although I kept looking as I crawled I was literally face-to-face with one of the owls beore it flushed. I would never get that close intentionally, but I simply could not see them. I was also expecting something smaller like a screech or sawwhet; quite a surprise to have something larger appear! I went back about once a week to see how long they stayed (and from a safe distance). Although I knew exacly where they perched it took some time for my eyes to adjust so I could make o! ! ut their form. Owls are there, but hard to see and hard to find. They generally do not flush during the day, preferring to stay still and hidden. At night they usually ignore us, as they know we probably won't see them. Once an owl is located keep your distance, back away quickly and quietly if you get close by mistake. DO NOT STARE!!!!!! Once an owl knows it is seen it is likely to take flight. Looking only with bins seems to make them more comfortable. Pointing can have the same effect. Keep your head down and use only quick glances to locate it when you are moving away. DO NOT TALK!!! Many owls will stay still as I make all kinds of sounds. Once a word is uttered they become alert and will sometimes leave. LOOK EVERYWHERE!!! Owls an be found by white wash and pellets on the ground, or in the tree branches for small species. They can be perched high or low, on the tips of branches or near the trunk. Perhaps on the ground or in a hole. Maybe over water or dry land. LISTEN!!!! ! For the sound of wings brushin g branches (owls are very quiet, but often bump into things on an escape flight) Chickadees, bluejays, titmouse, nuthatches, small woodpeckers and kinglets are the best locators. I find if I do a single screech whistle, they will often flock back to that hole in the tree to make sure the owl is still there. If playing tapes, minimize the use. Play only a few minutes, take a break of the same length to listen, play a few more minutes and just listen. A respone will happen if it is going to happen. No need to keep playing he tape. An owl may fly up silently and you are better off listening for the landing (keep your lights off and eyes open so you can see your best). If it is going to call it will eventually break the silence to try to get a response from the "intruder". If not leave and try elsewhere. Perhaps there are no owls or they are being quiet for reason. AND DON'T SHINE YOUR LIGHT IN ITS FACE!! Us e only indirect light from a flashlight. Better yet, go on a! ! bright night with good bins tha t let in lots of light - almost as good as night vision if its my Swarovski 7X42 and a bright moon! And most of all KEEP IT TO YOURSELF!!! Of course you would only tell your most trusted birding partners who won't bother the owl. Of course they will "only" tell their most trusted buddies. Soon you have many "trusted" people and a crowd or constant distubance and that can be a problem. Of course those crowds will attract the undesirable element or perhaps a personal email gets posted in the wrong place. I may be shooting myself in the foot on this, but it makes sense. I just hope I haven't ruined any good sources of owl reports for myself (and yes, I keep all reports confidential - I won't share with anyone)! I'm sure this is much too long and perhaps confusing. I'm rapidly typing during my luch break. Send me questions if you have any. I'll reply personally or via the list as appropriate. Steve Huy Middleown, MD Nsawwhet@aol.com Steve.huy@marriott.com ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================