Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 09:58:05 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Steve Huy Subject: Re: Pellet ? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Patty, I have never been able to distinguish a saw-whet pellet from a screech owl pellet. Perhaps there is a way, but they are relatively the same sizes. Either owl is know to consume birds and I'm sure either would take advantage of a feeder. Owls can cast pellets at any time. I think I read somewhere that the smaller owls, screech adn saw-whety will cast up to twice a day, once near the roost, once while hunting. Chances are, if the hunting location is good, your owl will be back. So keep a flashlight handy and check your feeder in the evenings. Hawk pellets tend to be looser than owl pellets, but not always. Even dense hawk pellets tend to made up of mostly just hair as the hawk's better digestion leaves fewer bones. While not impossible for a sharpie to eat rodents, your thinking is correct in that its unlikely. "Yesterday I found a pellet on the ground near a bird feeder in my yard. It looked just like Northern Saw-whet Owl pellets that I have seen before - small, almost cylindrical and gray. It is mostly fur and bones, but does contain some small dark feathers. This does not seem unusual since juncoes are listed as one of its prey items. My question is: How can you distinguish a saw-whet owl's pellet from a screech-owl's or even a hawk's such as sharp-shinned? I think the hawk is unlikely since its prey is more birds and less mammals. Please correct me if I am wrong. And another question. Since screech-owls roost in cavities would its pellets more likely be inside the cavity or beneath the entrance or somewhere else entirely?" ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================