[TN-Bird] thoughts on owl update (Great Horned Owl)
- From: "Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Tennessee Birds" <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2004 13:01:57 -0500
Dean Edwards and TN-Birders:
You noted in your post that the a bird was near the nest which you believe
is a Red-tailed
Hawk nest from last year. I assume you were saying a Great Horned Owl was
at the nest.
You did not mention whether the owl was on the nest as in incubating /
brooding, standing
atop the nest or perched on a limb near the nest. Did it return from
hunting with food ?
Did it go back to the nest ?
In response to your request "for thoughts," I would be inclined to believe
the young Great
Horned Owls from last year have dispersed from the nesting area. Adult owls
start breeding so early there is little chance the young are still in the
vicinity of the
parents (no matter what call they are making). The adults maintain their
home range
(nesting territory within) the year around in our more southern region.
Any adult
bird(s) on the range would have driven last year's young away due to the
continuing
demand that adults have to gather food and preserve their own food supply.
The fall
territory hooting began in October and pairs (which roost apart within the
range during
the late summer and fall) have been coming back together during late fall
and early
winter.
We have often found a Great Horned Owl's roost in a solitary pine or small
grove of pines
isolated in a larger hardwood lot. About this time of year the bird will
frequently move its roost.
When we find a roosting bird has left it's early-winter roost, we know it
has joined with a
mate near the nest for this breeding season. The crows will show us that
location if we
watch carefully. The two don't always show up at the nest tree location at
the same time
but probably do most years. He has been spending time capturing food and
offering her
food as part of the mating ritual.
If the bird you saw at the Red-tailed Hawk nest is a Great Horned Owl and is
down on the
nest then most likely it is an incubating bird. The mate is usually
roosting within 50
yards or so where the nest can be watched.
If the bird was standing atop the nest, then nesting readiness may be
underway. Look
carefully at the nest and see if you can find fresh pine needs showing along
the edge of
the rim. Also look to see if a breast feather or two is blowing gently in
the wind where it
has been snagged in an outer stick of the nest. The female (I believe that
is the correct
sex here) pulls out breast feathers and lines the nest with a soft, shallow
patch of feathers
on which to lay her eggs. Sometimes the feathers fall from the birds beak
or are blow from
the nest and hang in the sticks of the rim. Also, some blow onto the ground
not far from
the nest. The adult owls frequently adorn the rim of the nest with just
very small
amounts of white pine needles or other species of pines. These are the
fresh needles
you can see.
A bird, down on the nest and somewhat concealed from the ground, will
usually sit tight
on eggs and not flush easily. Sometimes the nearby roosting mate will
flush when you
approach the nest and will be chased by whatever crows can pick up on the
excitement.
It is generally believed that the young from last year will disperse from
their nest site and
usually not go much further than 20 miles.
Ken Hale, Bert Hale, Lorraine Hale and I had two young which we banded from
one nest
recovered after dispersal. They were banded 10 March 1973 on Silver Grove
Road south
of Bristol in Sullivan Co. One was found injured 11 years and 9 months
later on 1 Dec.
1984 about 10 miles south of the nest site where banded. The second
nestling was found
dead 13 years and 6 months after banding on 16 Sept. 1986. The band was
found among
a pile of bones with the band on a leg bone. That was 12 miles north of the
banding site
on Haskel Station Road in Washington Co., VA. Some feathers were present
so it has
not been dead very long.
I hope these thoughts provide some useful insight.
Let's go birding....
Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN
>
> (Knoxville, TN)
>
> Ok, my current thinking is that the owls I heard screeching
> this past weekend may have been LAST year's young instead of
> this year's. According to the Bent life histories, the yearling
> owls will often give this hunger cry throughout their first
> year of life. My theory is that last year's young were having
> difficulty finding food and returned to their parents looking
> for a handout. What we heard then was probably the parents
> yelling at their teenagers.
>
> I went out into the woods just before sunset last night (21 Jan 2004)
> to look for the nest. I first went to the area where I heard
> the squealing. I went through the area pretty good but couldn't
> find any sign of a nest. I then walked back north along the
> ridge in the direction I most often hear the adults hooting and
> where I was pretty sure there was a Red-tailed Hawk nest last
> year though I was never able to find it.
>
> I finally found the nest about 60 ft up in a pine, three houses
> up from us and about 120 yards or so from where I heard the
> squealing. One bird was at the nest and flew off to go hunting.
> I stayed until it (or the other) returned. I heard no sign of
> the young vocalizing when it came back. I didn't have a good
> view into the nest from where I was and couldn't see any movement
> once the one bird left but that's not conclusive. I tried taking
> a few photos but it was pretty dark by then. I'll try again
> later.
>
> Any thoughts?
>
> On a side note, while I was out, I found where the Hairy Woodpecker
> has been roosting this winter. Last year, he had a roost hole
> within sight from our house and I saw or heard him pretty often.
> This winter I've only spotted them twice I think. While I was
> looking for the owl nest, the male Hairy flew up beside me and
> went into his new roost hole which is about halfway down the back
> side of the ridge.
>
> Dean Edwards
> Knoxville, TN
>
>
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>
=================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
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