FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] The Minnesota owl irruption

[<cpnichol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

From Tuesday's St. Paul Pioneer Press:

Posted on Tue, Dec. 07, 2004 
Mass arrival of owls observed
DNR alerts drivers, wises up shooters

Associated Press

BAUDETTE, Minn. ? A large influx of owls into northwestern Minnesota this 
winter has wildlife officials on the lookout for owl shooters and warning 
motorists to watch out for swooping raptors.

Great gray owls are showing up in unusual numbers this winter because of an 
apparent food shortage in their normal winter range in the boreal forests of 
Canada. Bird watchers call such influxes "irruptions," which happen every few 
years.

The arrival of owls has already resulted in one illegal shooting, said Jeff 
Birchem, a conservation officer for the Minnesota Department of Natural 
Resources in Baudette. The DNR needs the public's help to catch the killer, he 
said.

"Dead owls don't tell big tales," Birchem said.

Bird watchers said they're also seeing a similar influx of hawk owls, boreal 
owls and, farther west, snowy owls. In the bird world, such irruptions aren't 
completely understood.

"It's kind of exciting, but it's too bad for the birds," said Katie Haws, 
nongame biologist for the DNR in Bemidji. "A lot of times, they arrive here in 
poor shape. We get calls of owls that are injured and emaciated. Sometimes, 
they die right at a bird feeder."

Birchem said the people he catches shooting great gray owls and other raptors 
believe they're protecting ruffed grouse.

"Nothing can be further from the truth because (great gray owls) are mouse 
eaters," Birchem said.

"To have them shot for whatever reason is just inexcusable."

Haws said the forests north of Roseau, along Minnesota 72 north of Blackduck 
and throughout Beltrami Island State Forest, offer some of the best 
opportunities for seeing great gray owls.

Motorists in those areas also need to be on the lookout for owls swooping 
across the road. Someone who hits an owl or sees an injured bird should contact 
the DNR so the agency can get the bird to a rehabilitator, Haws said.

Some of those injured owls are taken to Beth Siverhus, a licensed bird 
rehabilitator in Warroad. In the past week or so, she said she has treated two 
great gray owls that were hit by motorists before sending them down to the Twin 
Cities for more care.

Based on what she's seen so far, Siverhus said she's expecting a busy winter.

"I'm really hoping that people hold off on the shooting," she said.

"I don't know why they do it. It's illegal, immoral, illogical ? that's all I 
can say."
 

Chuck Nicholson
Norris, TN


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