FreeLists / va-bird / [va-bird] 2006 Virginia Society of Ornithology Foray...Owls!

["Andrew Dolby" <adolby@xxxxxxx>]

2006 Breeding Bird Foray        

This year's Virginia Society of Ornithology's Breeding Bird Foray will 
represent an exciting departure from its usual format.  Instead of conducting 
an all-species survey of a particular county or region, we will focus on a 
single species:  the Northern Saw-whet Owl (NSWO).  This cavity nesting species 
is eastern North America's smallest owl.  It prefers densely forested habitat 
and preys primarily on small mammals.  During the last decade, NSWO fall 
migration has been monitored by banding stations on the Eastern Shore, in 
Harrisonburg, Lynchburg, and more recently, the central Piedmont region.  Data 
gleaned from these stations suggest that Virginia is an important link along 
these owls' migratory corridor.  Nesting records also exist for this intriguing 
species in several far-western counties, but in general, little is known about 
its breeding range in Virginia.
        We will conduct our survey during the months of April and May.  
Volunteers are invited to participate at any point during the survey 
time-frame.  The protocol will involve driving 4-mile routes, with stops every 
one-half mile.   Stops will be 15 minutes long and will include short 
broadcasts of NSWO calls, followed by listening periods.  To coincide with 
their most active period, we will run routes between dusk and midnight.  No 
special equipment will be needed to broadcast calls:  at minimum, just a 6-volt 
tape or CD player with a 2-inch speaker will suffice. We will send detailed 
protocols, data forms, and tapes or CDs with NSWO calls at a later date to 
those who express interest. 
        According to existing breeding information, NSWOs in the Southeast seem 
to prefer higher elevation forests.  Therefore, we will target counties along 
the West Virginia border, including Highland, Bath, Alleghany, and Craig 
Counties, and additionally, points along the Blue Ridge Parkway.  However, 
other locations containing promising owl habitat are fair game.  Our knowledge 
of NSWO breeding distributions in Virginia is in its earliest stage!  If you 
would like to participate in this spring's NSWO foray, please contact Clair 
Mellinger, the foray's coordinator.  Clair has banded more than 500 NSWOs since 
2001 in the Harrisonburg area and is becoming one of Virginia's experts on this 
species.   I extend my sincere thanks to Clair for agreeing to coordinate this 
exciting foray and to Dan Cristol for initially approaching me with the idea.  
We look forward to your help in furthering our understanding of this 
interesting species.

-Andrew Dolby, VSO Research Chair

Clair Mellinger's Contact Information:  Andrew Dolby's Contact Information:     
                        
        Biology Department                              Dept. of Biological 
Sciences
        Eastern Mennonite University            University of Mary Washington
        Harrisonburg, VA 22802                  1301 College Avenue
        *Email: mellinac@xxxxxxx                        Fredericksburg, VA 22401
        Phone: 540-432-4409                             *Email: adolby@xxxxxxx 
                                                        Phone: 540-654-1420

*Preferred contact method


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