[Bristol-Birds] Re: Long-eared Owl may be good record for Burke's Garden
- From: "Ken Hale" <khale@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>, <dkirschke@xxxxxxxxx>, "'Bristol Birds'" <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 13 Nov 2011 19:59:01 -0500
Wow, I had forgotten about that!! CRS disease!!
Ken Hale
Bristol, TN
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From: bristol-birds-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:bristol-birds-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Wallace Coffey
Sent: Sunday, November 13, 2011 7:03 PM
To: dkirschke@xxxxxxxxx; Bristol Birds
Subject: [Bristol-Birds] Long-eared Owl may be good record for Burke's
Garden
David, that is a good record. Do you believe it is a Long-eared Owl because
it sounds like the species ? Or do you not know because of other reasons ?
If you are satisfied you were hearing a Long-eared Owl, then the record can
be a good one. The BBC Golden-eagle field trip of 27 Jan 1996 found the
species for the first-ever Burke's Garden record and first-ever Tazewell
County record. It had become entangled in a fence and was impaled by one
wing. The carcass was fresh and in good condition. They eyes had
deteriorated or been eaten by an insect or other critter. It was grasping a
strand of the lower wire with the talons of both feet. Ken Hale, one of our
outstanding biologists and raptor trapper and bander, found the bird. He
was leading the field trip for BBC. He brought it to my house and we
measured it and made notes. I was not on that trip due to illness. Ken
served two terms as president of BBC from 1990 thru 1992.
On 10 March 1991, Dr. Fred Alsop and party found a Short-eared Owl perched
on a post near the old mill pond in Burke's Garden. The owl had been seen
flying about a nearby field just before dusk. That group included Cathy
Sullins, Dee Eiklor, Stand Strickland and Alsop, all good birders.
There are several Southwest Virginia records for Short-eared Owls in winter.
There are at least two breeding season records in the area
Playing tapes to owls and many other species usually causes them to get
quiet if you move closer to them. As long as you hold your position, they
are often likely to come closer. I have had screech owls, Great Horned Owls
and Barred Owls continue to move closer to a recorded call. It is also
important, if you have an owl you think is calling back to your recording,
to play it less seldom than the wild bird is calling and allow the wild bird
to gain confidence and move near to you. Long pauses between taped-played
calls really makes them very curious. The fact they become silent while you
are playing a call, is often because they are flying more close to your call
and not being vocal. If you keep your call going frequently and loudly,
they approach less closely and just sit well back. A well-played lure can
often cause them to fly about you. I have lured a Great Horned Owl to fly
about my house and sit on my roof and my gutters to try and locate the call
which I had hidden out of view. It is well to stand in the outer reaches of
a night light on a utility pole to get maximum lighting to see an owl. If
one comes near you in total darkness and is not calling, you have little
chance to see it. The two birds in Shady Valley hunted under a utility pole
light but were not heard to call.
Keep us posted......
Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN
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Version: 10.0.1411 / Virus Database: 2092/4014 - Release Date: 11/13/11
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