Here is the posting from PA-Birds on the reported N Hawk Owl -
Thanks,
Jay Keller
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"Date: Thu, 12 Oct 2006 17:06:33 +0000
Reply-To: Dan Snell <>
Sender: Bird discussion list for Pennsylvania
<>
From: Dan Snell <>
Subject: ALERT: NORTHERN HAWK OWL in southcentral PA on 10/9,
MD border area
Hi PA Birders,
I received a phone call the other day from an excited non-internet user,
about an owl she found during the night along a road along the
Fulton/Huntingdon County line near Waterfall. At around 9:00 pm on 10/09,
while driving James & Delores Purnell saw a bird along the side of the road
feeding on a large dead bird. They turned the car around and watched the
bird in headlights for a while (A minute or two). Well they knew that they
had an EXCELLENT bird so they drove nearby to a relatives' house. They
picked up two more people and ventured to the owl spot. AMAZINGLY the owl
was still there feeding voraciously. A couple minutes went by as everyone
noted impressions, shape, features, tail length, and how hungry this bird
acted. Noting the tail bobbing, while it fed. Delores told me that
everyone got really excited in the car (from the sighting) that the bird
then took off acrossed the road and then banking back to that area.
Subsequently the Purnells went back later that night twice to see if the
bird returned to no avail.The Purnells are excellent birders and
hawkwatchers having birded for decades. This is a credible sighting for
Northern Hawk Owl. Yes, they will be sending details to P.O.R.C. about the
sighting.
I had to work on 10/10, but Delores 'gathered up' a roadkill rabbit and
placed it about 200 yards down the road in hoping to lure the bird. Of
course the next morning the rabbit was gone.
Yesterday on 10/11, Delores and I went out to the area to do some
'investigating'. The dead bird was a Great Blue Heron!!! The kill site was
interesting... the two wings were intact. Certain organs were all that
remained gizzard,liver, and intestines. The kill site was against the road
adjacent to a small line of 20' high spruce trees buffering the roadside.
The landowner had about 1/2 acre wildlife landscaped property adjoining a
wide creek with stones above water level. The Sideling Hill Creek was about
50 yards away. Hemlocks and Mountain Laural lined the creekside area.
Unfortunately this area is like a 'gap' between mountain ridges. There are
no massive amounts of open habitat here. Delores and I talked to the
landowner and they frequently have Barred Owls in the backwoods. We feel
that this area was probably a chance stopover for food. Reoccurance of the
bird at this spot would seem unlikely.
PLEASE RESPECT THE LOCAL PRIVATE LANDOWNERS IN THIS AREA. People are
friendly, and are willing to help people out. Many times all you have to do
is ask for permission.
Severely paraphrasing from Dunne's Field Guide Companion book : Northern
Hawk Owls normally hunt during the day (sometimes it hovers like a kestrel ,
sometimes over large areas will fly like an accipiter) favoring mice and
voles, and Ruffed Grouse.
Habitats to look for it include: often found along roadsides with semi-open
habitat, perching on utility poles and other manmade structures, most
likely to be found in spruce forest with stunted trees open perches (old
christmas tree farms & newly clearcut forests with newly grown conifers)-
along marshy and aquatic areas with a conifer forest edge (Haines-Seville
Wetlands would qualify...hmmmmm)
So if you see a 'large-headed' kestrel- you might want to stop and check it
out!! Tomorrow I am going out to 'appropriate' areas in Fulton to search. If
you happen to be in the area and help in the search or would like an
"in-the-field" update, you can call my cell.
GREAT Birding,
Dan Snell
717-377-0304
Shippensburg, PA"
----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul O'Brien" <>
To: <>
Sent: Thursday, October 12, 2006 4:32 PM
Subject: [MDOSPREY] Hawk Owl on the PA Border?
> Bob Augustine alerted me to a funny-sounding report of a possible Hawk Owl
> seen near Sideling Creek just north of the MD border. It is awfully
early and
> the bird was found at 9 PM on 10/9 feeding on a dead Great Blue Heron.
> That's quite a feat. Moreover Hawk Owls are diurnal. But it would be
silly to
> miss out on a spectacular state bird. I wouldn't go chasing after it,
but if
> anybody is out that way, watch the tops of poles and trees.
>
> Paul O'Brien
> Rockville, Mont. Co., MD |