Thoughts on Owls

Owls seem to have intrigued and have inspired many. Perhaps it is because Owls are cute and curious, perhaps it is because they are awesome hunters, perhaps it is because they are seen less frequently than their diurnal raptor relatives, or perhaps it is just because Owls are awesome! They are used as education birds often after they get injured or imprint illegally to humans as babies and cannot return to the wild. A quick search on Google returned 132 million pages for "owls" whereas "warbler" returned less than 2% of that many.  There strong opinions on Owls seemingly disregard respect for others and completely ignore science. I realize there is still much to be learned, but I have a hard time believing that any personal opinion (without support) is more likely to be correct that scientific projects.  Yes I am biased toward science and data; if you don't know what bias is please look it up rather than ask! Anyways, this blog focuses on my personal thoughts toward owls as a birder rather than as a scientist.

Personal Opinion: Owls bring out craziness! 

The Good!

Owls are often spark interests in birds and nature. A kid seeing a white Harry Potter owl, also known as a Snowy Owl, may result in them caring about nature and birds the rest of their life!  I can remember the Snowy Owl that landed in a branch mere feet above my head while deer hunting one November in Minnesota; it was magical. I met an elderly gentleman that shared how he saw his first Short-Eared Owl just a month ago. I suspected his smile has not diminished in size upon telling the story.

The Bad! 

Owls spark an insane desire to see them that can be bad for the bird. The guilt is on many levels and should not be unfairly put on only one group. As a birder I suspect we have all been guilty of driving a car close to a perched bird only to have it fly off.  When I had a camera in my hand I was too often tempted to walk closer to perched birds, often resulting in them fly. I've unfortunately seen others do far worse; trespassing, repeatedly harassing the bird for a photo, and yes even baiting. It is my opinion that we should minimize any stress on birds.

My Takeaway

I share locations of owls to individuals because I still believe that people are good. Sometimes their actions afterwards result in my unwillingness to share any further information with them unfortunately. I don't post specific locations of owls publicly to eBird or to ListServs unless it is already there; thus I don't add more locations. I realize how tough this is for others to follow up on reports. Even in Olaf Danielson's big year he expressed frustration that the only ebird report for Northern Hawk Owl was at the county level (yes it was mine). That story had a good result because he went to the same location we saw it at anyways, he was the one that shared the location with us in the first place.  Alas I read repeated reports of ^$$%@&*s stressing birds in the north-woods to get their shot. It would seem that the value of a photo is much higher for the person taking the photo than for anyone else. Many of the best bird photographers offer travel trips (7 times as many results on google compared to warblers!) to pay their bills because making a living selling photos is very tough. If you read this far in the blog you likely already know my personal opinion; take a snapshot to remember the moment from a respectful distance. Celebrate any good fortune if a bird flies toward you and offers the perfect photo but be willing to go home without the money shot. Share the photo we love seeing them. Lastly, don't pretend that you found a bird without help of others if you relied on them. That last one makes you seem ungrateful, personally I am quite thankful that others have kindly shared locations to check and I hope that I have respected the birds.

2 of 7 Short-eared Owls seen tonight in Miami County. 

Festival of Owls

This afternoon we attended the 2013 International Festival of Owls in Houston.  The event was amazing! There was a full house for the live animal show this afternoon and the girls were able to get their faces painted.  Click play on the slideshow below to see 43 photos.

Yesterday I saw a Great Gray Owl, as did many others, in Wisconsin. You can see the Owl on the far left hand side of the photo perched in the tree. 

 

Here is a closer look at the bird. Many of you will recall the 2005 irruption of Great Grays, were I first saw one at Trouts! It is interesting to see how people flock to owls, how we observe them, and how they captivate our hearts and mind.

 

Owls

Yesterday I joined the La Crosse Audubon Society in search of Boreal species in the Northwoods. I absolutely loved observing the various species, the time spent with other birders, and the peace of mind that comes when you force yourself to do nothing other than enjoy the moment.

The group left La Crosse early in the morning and headed toward Clam Lake, searching roads along the way for Grosbeaks, Gray Jays, Bohemian Waxwings, Northern Shrikes, Crossbills, and Hoary Redpolls.  With many of the targeted species seen along the way, the group decided to chase the reports of Boreal Owls north of Duluth.

Along the way we stopped in Poplar Wisconsin and saw a Northern Hawk Owl that has regularly been seen this winter.  This was the first time I've seen this species anywhere, and even though the bird was a looooooong ways away I still took pictures :)  To the left is four pictures stitched together as the bird dropped off its perch.

Just north of Duluth we ran into birders observing a Boreal Owl. The group piled out of the vehicles and got nice views of the rare visitor from the north. As a group birders are wonderful! Birders share their observations and insight openly and are genuinely concerned and respect nature. On this day a birder was willing to take our group to a location where he had previously seen another Boreal owl. What a wonderfully kind gentleman that lived nearby.

One the way I spotted another Boreal owl. It was a different bird that had not yet been spotted by anyone that we knew of, and half the group saw before it flew off. Luckily the last bird was in the same spot and gave everyone close views of it hunting.  The group turned into owl paparazzi and relished in the awesomeness of enjoying the species together.

We quickly visited the Superior Wisconsin airport and saw a snowy owl near last light.  The snowy owl was the third owl species for the day, and these species were lifers (first observance of the species) for many in the group.(Note the picture is from a different owl last year.)


I would describe myself as a birder of convenience and location, as I often will look for birds where ever we happen to be but without much emphasis put on the species themselves.  While I definitely love the outdoors, nature, and especially birds I realize that I face trade-offs with every decision. Are the additional miles worth possibly seeing a new species, is my time birding away from family more important than time with the girls and Christine, and perhaps most troubling is whether my love for nature worth the extra cost associated with my actions while pursuing it. Occasionally I've convinced Christine to take a small detour along our way for a birding location, but in the past six years of birding these excursions have been small in numbers. At the end of the day I wonder what one person can do, if there is a socially accepted answer, and if these internal questions are asked due to personal ethics and the ability to sleep at night.  While I doubt I will end of chasing birds on a regular basis this coming year, I did enjoy it at least for one day.

Owl Survey

I conducted my first Owl survey route earlier tonight. Each survey route consists of listing for five minutes at 10 stops a mile apart. The clear sky and relatively calm winds were ideal for the survey. I did not have high expectations based on a ride-along for two routes last year, but I was pleasantly surprised tonight.

I heard owls at four of ten survey stops, with four Barred Owls and one Great Horned Owl counted! Two of the owls were very close to the road, resonating their sound through my head and sending chills down my spine with their awesome calls. At another stop two barred owls were calling back and forth on opposite sides of the road. I also heard a Savannah Sparrow and two Wilson's Snipes for the first time this year. Along with the Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker and Fox Sparrow in our yard today, it was a good day of birding!

In addition to birds, I saw five deer and a raccoon tonight. The unexpected survey guest showed up right after the five minute survey was complete at my 9th stop. I had just returned to the car and was jotting down notes when cop lights came on behind me. The cop was very kind and checked to make sure everything was alright. He asked how the survey was going and seemed interested when I mentioned a barred owl was calling within a couple hundred yards of we were parked. He drove off right away without listening however. I was too frightened to get out of the car and point out the call, but I should have. I've read about this happening to birders before, but not me. The episode with police has given me a good chuckle after the fact.