Hi All,
I agree with Gerald's caution here. If there is any chance that LEOWs
might breed in these parts of the state (which I suspect is likely
considering the location is on the Piedmont), we should all do our best to
minimize the disturbance. Happy to say, I am under the impression that
that's exactly what people have done so far. But, what happens when the
birds become more elusive and people start searching off the trails?
Raptors in general tolerate very little disturbance at the nest and very
easily abandon a clutch of eggs. If someone therefore by accident flushes
the female off a nest or from a nearby roost, they risk exposing her and 
the eggs to predation.

My experience with nesting Long-eared Owls in Norway is that they are
extremely secretive/cryptic on their nesting territory. They hardly
announce their presence even during mating season and are rarely seen
hunting at night. But, that changes completely when the chicks hatch and
reaches fledging. They beg continuously throughout the night starting at
dusk and can be heard from a mile away. My tip is therefore to stick to
the trails for now, enjoy them from a distance if they are visible from
the trails, and come back in mid- to late May when the nestlings vocalize
and expose their location. At this stage they tolerate much more
disturbanse and often offer very close encounters.

Good birding (and owling),

Frode Jacobsen
Baltimore, MD

> I am going to admit some ignorance as to the owls we have been viewing. I
> thought they were probably migrating thru and were not likely to
staydisturbance
> here.
> That's because I never bothered to consult my only Owl book. Although it
> is
> dated, -Alcorn, 1986 - it says and I quote, "It is not highly migratory
> and
> the winter range is approximately that of the breeding range."
>     I have been advised by more knowledgeable folks than me that we are
> probably disturbing a pair that want to breed. The fact that they keep
> moving only underscores the likelihood that we are disturbing them.
>     With this in mind, I recommend that the tours stop. I know another
> tick
> on a list is exciting, but I for one have decided to discontinue visiting
> Morgan Run for a while. I hope others act responsibly and do the same. It
> practically took somebody hitting me over the head with it.
>     For reference I stole the page out of Birder's Handbook on them, so
> here
> are some more interesting facts:
>
> BREEDING: Conifer and mixed conifer-deciduous forest, especially near
> water;
> occasionally deciduous forest, also parks, orchards, farm woodland.  1
> brood. Mating system is monogamous
> DISPLAYS: Courtship: male flies in erratic zigzag with deep, slow
> wingbeats,
> occasionally gliding and clapping wings together beneath body.  Courtship
> feeding.
> NEST: Usually in abandoned nests (especially crow, also squirrel, hawk,
> magpie, heron, raven).  Perennial.  Rarely scrape on ground, of small
> sticks, inner bark strips, pine needles.  Female selects site.
> EGGS: White. 1.6" (40 mm).
> CHICK DEVELOPMENT: Female incubates. Incubation takes 26-28 days.
> Development is semialtricial (immobile, downy, eyes closed, fed). Young
> are
> able to fly after 23-26 days. Both sexes tend young.
> DIET: Overwhelmingly rodents, rarely amphibians, reptiles, fish, insects.
> Hunts over open areas, strictly nocturnal.  Ejects pellets.
>
> CONSERVATION: Winters s to c Mexico.
> NOTES: Occasionally nests in loose colonies; prey density may determine
> breeding density.  Pair bond long-term where sedentary on year-round
> territories.  Male feeds incubating female.  Young hatch asynchronously;
> female broods.  Young fly at about 34 days; parents feed them for 56-63
> days.  Perform distraction display in groups when colonial.  Family unit
> retained perhaps until winter.  Roosts, often communally, in dense cover,
> less often in caves, rock crevices.
>
>
> Copyright © 1988 by Paul R. Ehrlich, David S. Dobkin, and Darryl Wheye.
>
>     Jerry Tarbell
>     Carroll County
>