[wisb] Re: Fennimore Snowy shot
- From: Richter Museum <richter@xxxxxxxx>
- To: "'calocitta8@xxxxxxxxx'" <calocitta8@xxxxxxxxx>, "wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 30 Nov 2011 21:04:05 +0000
Jesse; most are not in poor shape. The real culprit here is usually
aspergillosis a common fungus that these northern owls encounter as they move
south. As the disease progresses the birds become weaker and are unable to
hunt, hence starve. I suspect most of the birds have been exposed by this free
flying airborne pathogen, but it only comes into play under stress, such as in
young birds long emigrations with and little food. Some owls might be rescued
but survival even with treatment is very limited depending upon how advanced
the lesions are. It may take weeks for birds to succumb. Recently infected
birds have the best survival chance.
Tom Erdman
-----Original Message-----
From: wisbirdn-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:wisbirdn-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Jesse Ellis
Sent: Wednesday, November 30, 2011 1:36 PM
To: wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [wisb] Fennimore Snowy shot
Hey all-
I don't have a lot of details, but I received word today (via Alex Stark, who
cannot post right now) that Dennis Kirshbaum, the DNR warden in the area for
Fennimore, in Grant Co, found the/a Snowy Owl, shot. Apparently he thought it
might have been shot to "put it out of it's misery because it wasn't hunting
and was starving" (quoting Libby Stark, I don't have more detail than that).
Hopefully Alex will tell us a little more when he can access the net. In the
meantime, please don't use your gas expecting to find this individual again.
I'm not sure how to handle this as a birding community. My first thought is
that perhaps we need to alert the press to the potential of an invasion, and
inform them that regardless of appearances, these birds should not be and do
not need to be disturbed. Some will make it and some won't. If the lemming
population is actually great this year (which I believe I heard to be true)
these birds have moved not because of starvation outright, but because of
territoriality due to high population, and may be in good shape.
Some undoubtedly will be in rough shape due to their travels and new hunting
grounds, but we can't know that all of them are doing poorly.
Any other thoughts on this?
Jesse Ellis
--
Jesse Ellis
Post-doctoral Researcher
Dept. of Zoology
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, Dane Co, WI
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