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 =================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER===================== The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation. ----------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, simply send email to: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx ----------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send email to: tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s) endorse the views or opinions expressed by the members of this discussion group. Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society web site at http://www.tnbirds.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ========================================================