FreeLists / bristol-birds / [Bristol-Birds] Winter nesting of Barn Owl in Washington Co., VA

["Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Bristol Area Birders:


Chris O'Bryan and a farm owner climbed a 30-foot metal food storage hopper near 
DeBusk Mill in Washington Co., VA today and discover a pair of Barn Owls which 
have a winter nest with three young.

According to the information available this evening (1/2/05) this may be the 
first winter nesting of the Barn Owl in Virginia.  Roger B. Clapp's "Egg Dates 
for Virginia Birds," published by the Virginia Society of Ornithology in 1997, 
makes no mention of winter nesting in Virginia.  A nest with two young is 
listed for Feb. 1986 at Timberville, VA. in Rockingham County in Clair 
Mellinger's book but Clapp does not recognize that record. Tony Decker noted in 
"The Birds of Smyth County Virginia" (1999) that the species nests all year but 
there is no prior supporting evidence for such a statment in Southwest Virginia.

O'Bryan made a number of photographs of the birds at the DeBusk Mill site with 
a digital camera and we plan to post one to the Bristol Birds Net Photo page 
when we can get one ready.  We will notify the list with a post to Bristol 
Birds Net.

The nest was discovered while participating in the Glade Spring Christmas Bird 
Count.  This provided a total of five owls for the count.

The discovery was prompted when O'Bryan, Wallace Coffey and Andy Jones stopped 
near a dairy farm operation and subsequently met the owner.  The owner 
suggested that he had "fur balls" he believed came from either a hawk or owl.  
He took Coffey to investigate inside an equipment shed.

An extensive amount of whitewash and Barn Owl pellets were observed on the 
floor and equipment under the mostly open shed.  No owl was seen.  O'Bryan and 
Jones were called to see the find.  While observing the pellets and droppings, 
Coffey recognized the calling of young Barn Owls coming from nearby.  Just 
outside the shed, it seemed apparent the food begging was coming from within a 
tall bin next to the building.  The owner said he had not observed any owls 
about the area but was willing to help us search.

A ladder was carried to the bin and and O'Bryan and the farmer climed to the 
top and looked down through an opening in the roof.  O'Bryan was the first to 
reach the opening and one adult Barn Owl flushed out through the opening. We 
had a long good look as it flew out into the adjacent farmland.

O'Bryan and reported that two adults and two apparent nestling of fair size 
were perched on a crossbeam in the bin.  One adults (most likely the male) flew 
from the bin.  Two young dropped deep into the bin where a third smaller young 
was.  The female flew down to the bottom and attempted to cover and hide the 
youngest owls.  The other two young (too big to be brooded under the adult, in 
O'Bryan's opinion), crouched nearby.

Andy Jones' digital camera was provided to O'Bryan who then made several photos 
with a flash.  Looking at the photos on the viewing window on the back of the 
camera, it appeared that we may have good enough photos to provide some 
details.  Andy Jones will send the photos later.

Barn owls can breed almost any time of the year, depending upon food supply 
(Harris, M. and K. Bachynski. 2002. "Tyto alba" (On-line), Animal Diversity 
Web.  Accessed January 02, 2005 at 
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Tyto_alba.html.)

All brooding is done by the female, beginning immediately after hatching and 
lasting until the oldest young is about 25 days old. 

Due to the fact that Barn Owls may lay eggs with 2 or more days between eggs, 
we believe at this time that the two older young were from eggs laid earlier 
and the smallets from the latest laid eggs.  Female Barn Owls begin incubating 
with the first egg and they hatch at different times.

Let's go birding....

Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN


 

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