Hi All,

I wanted to point out that Mark England was correct about Marshall 
Iliff's nesting record. The record was from April and May of 2002 in 
Garrett County on the Allegheny Plateau (thus an atlas record).

I am a bit skeptical that the two birds at Morgan Run are nesting, or 
preparing to nest, at this time. Pennsylvania egg dates range from 18 
March to 21 April with a mean of 5 April. If one of the birds should be 
absent for the vast majority of the time in another week or two it might 
be actively incubating eggs. However, my suspicion is that they are 
one-year-old birds unlikely to nest this year and slow to leave a good 
roosting area with a presumably reliable food supply. Rick Sussman's 
account of the long-staying roosting birds in Montgomery County suggests 
how long such birds may hang around; although one wonders if anybody 
thrashed through that plantation to find every old crow nest to check 
them for an incubating owl. Long-ears usually nest in old raptor and 
crow nests in conifers.

According to the 1992 first Pennsylvania atlas book, all southern PA 
Long-ear confirmations were in pine plantations. Are these birds 
associated with such a plantation? It has also been over 55 years since 
Long-ears nested on the Maryland piedmont. On the plus side for 
potential nesting is a record of nesting from Lancaster County, PA 
during the first Pennsylvania atlas.

I am unsure about how sensitive Long-eared Owls are, somehow I expect 
they are not much more "sensitive" than we used to consider Bald Eagles; 
and look what we see those birds tolerating these days. If the owls are 
not showing an inordinate tendency to open their eyes in alarm as 
birders are viewing them from a distance I don't know how we can be 
certain they are intolerant of two-legger interest in them.

Good Birding,

Walter Ellison

23460 Clarissa Rd
Chestertown, MD 21620

phone: 410-778-9568

e-mail: rossgull(AT)baybroadband.net

"Nothing is as easy as you would like it to be, and nothing is as hard 
as you might fear"






George M. Jett wrote:
> Richard
>
> The Thick-billed Murre was a single bird, a non-breeder, and not in 
> breeding habitat.  The Eurasian Collared Dove and Tropical Kingbird 
> were observed way out of breeding dates and range.  The dove will 
> eventually nest here, but that species is not as sensitive to human 
> activity as the LEOW.  Those are a couple reasons why going to look at 
> the LEOW might be a bad idea, and your comparisons are invalid.  Egg 
> dates for LEOW are April 3 in Maryland.  There was a pair in adequate 
> habitat, very close to historical egg dates.  Seeing the birds is not 
> the issue.  Seeing them during a critical breeding cycle is.
>
> When people continue to want "to see them because they may not be on 
> the planet for much longer" it may hasten the demise of the species. 
> at least this pairs chances of breeding success if they do or are 
> trying to set up house in Maryland.   LEOWs have breed in Maryland 
> within the last five years.  Check with Walter Ellison, the atlas 
> coordinator.
>
> Rick Sussman - it is no longer winter for breeding LEOWs.  Why is the 
> pair still hear?
>
> Maurice - hikers don't stare for an hour on end.  People walking by 
> your house may not bother you, but if a group stops and stares, you 
> would likely take notice.  Give them a chance.
>
> All - please respect the birds rights to reproduce over our (your) 
> desires to see them.  I am not accusing anyone of "impure" motives.  I 
> think as we get closer to egg dates, the birders should be more 
> respectful of the owls rights.
>
> George