[TN-Bird] Long-eared owl remains

From: Daniel Moss <dmoss5@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Thu, 17 Nov 2011 10:50:41 -0500 (EST)
17 November 2011
Montgomery County, TN
Fort Campbell

I received confirmation from the Smithsonian Institute Feather Lab that the 
pile of feathers I found last week (Nov 8) was positively from a Long-eared 
owl. When I found the feathers, which were in a field on top of a round hay 
bale, I noticed they were owl feathers, but they didn't quite appear to be any 
of our common owls based upon size and color. After looking through the online 
US Fish & Wildlife Service Feather Atlas, I could definitely see they were not 
from any of our common owls and thought they looked very similar to Long-eared. 
Then I sent them to the Feather Lab where they graciously compared them with 
museum specimens for a positive identification. 

This is the first documented Long-eared owl on the base and I'm guessing there 
are not many county records (if any). Also, notable is the early arrival date 
of this bird. Most Long-eared owl sightings have occurred between mid-Dec and 
mid-Mar according to Robinson's Annotated Checklist (1990). The feathers looked 
pretty fresh and the field was cut within the last few weeks, so the predation 
occurred recently. It looks like the owl could have been here as early as the 
beginning of November (if not earlier). I'm assuming Great-horned owl would be 
the most likely predator. 

Daniel Moss
Clarksville, TN  
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[TN-Bird] Long-eared owl remains

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