By Beth Sullivan
We haven’t had a lot of winter
weather yet. Even this recent snow is already disappearing. At this
time of year though, I always get thinking about how certain species
adapt to survive during the cold and in an often snow-covered
landscape. Being warm-blooded and covered in down, birds can survive
the winter as long as they can find food. So, seed eaters can
survive, insect eaters cannot. Owls prey on lots of things but rely
on mammals during the winter, and mammals are quite available though
not always easily accessible.
Winter Owls
We have several owls that are here
during the winter only, migrating from their nesting grounds in the
far north, usually in response to scarcity of food in their home
ranges. We are always so excited to see them. Some of them can be
quite difficult to find. It helps to know their landscape
preferences. Most owls seem to like the cover and protection of
evergreens. Through the fall and winter, it is always worth
listening for the clamor made by groups of smaller birds: chickadees
and titmice will advertise when they find an owl in hiding. Blue jays
and crows will vocally harass a larger owl they may discover snoozing
in the daylight hours. Keep your ears open while winter hiking, and
spend a good amount of time looking in the evergreens.
In later October, the little
saw-whet owl moves southward and relocates in our area. They are
rarely seen unless you follow the announcements made by other birds.
They will catch and eat small mammals and have been known to stash
mice-meals for later consumption. There have been several occasions
that we have discovered dead mice, up on a branch in a bush - a sure
sign of an owl stashing a meal for later. In one photo included
here, the saw whet was discovered while cleaning out a wood duck nest
box. It had used the box as a safe roost and surrounded itself with
plenty of food, well preserved by winter cold, for a time when maybe
snow would be too deep to find them.
Less frequently, a long-eared owl
can be discovered. They are quite beautiful and are well camouflaged
in the brown fall and winter landscape. They are often mistaken for
great horned owls, because of the characteristic feather “ear/horn
” tufts, but they are quite different in size and plumage
characteristics. They like the dark quiet of a cedar grove, but will
take the hunt to the open fields nearby.
Probably the most sought-after
winter visitor is the snowy owl. They are quite aptly named, because
the males are beautiful snowy white, while the females and young have
more speckling. These birds nest and hunt on the wide open tundra of
the far north. They do not associate with trees. When found here in
the winter they are on wind-swept sand dunes, snow-covered fields or
along bare rocky shorelines where they may take ducks for food.
There are years when sightings are numerous. Often it is a year of
poor winter food resources or the year following a big population
expansion and they disperse farther in the winter. This is called an
irruption event. Other years, they will be scarce. They are always
amazing to see.
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| This long-eared owl was quietly camouflaged in the cedar trees |
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| This little saw-whet owl picked a big birdhouse as a roost. It surrounded itself with plenty of food. Photograph by D. Lersch. |
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| Finding a mouse stashed on a branch is a sure sign there is an owl nearby. |
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| Snowy owls are found here only in winter, and never in trees. |
Resident owls
Our resident owls maintain their
territories all year and as early as late January, great horned owls
are setting up on nests and will incubate eggs through February
snowstorms. They often take over a nest site from an osprey or other
large hawk, and will fledge their young by the time the original
owner is ready to use it.
The little screech owls remain here
through the winter and will roost in larger birdhouses and duck
boxes. They may also use the same box to nest in as the season
progresses.
My personal
favorites are the barred owls. I have had several opportunities to
interact with them and even got to know one pretty well. They are the
ones I find most frequently on my woods walks. I know they see me
before I see them, but with their wise dark eyes, they seem unafraid
and often do not fly unless my movements are sudden. These owls seem
to enjoy vocalizing all year long. And their hoots are widely varied
and can be described as haunting or comical. They are indeed hooting
already. They too will be setting up their territories soon and
preparing to nest.
As much as I look forward to the
winter visitors, I believe I enjoy our residents the best. Keep your
eyes and ears open. It’s never too cold to spot an owl.
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| Barred owls line here all year and are frequently heard hooting almost any time of year. Photograph by R. Newton. |
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| Screech owls will take over a wood duck box for its winter roost and will nest there in the spring. Photograph by D. Main. |
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| Great-horned owls may take over an osprey nest in winter, protecting eggs and chicks through blizzards. Photograph by R. Newton. |
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| This great-horned owl was already out of the nest in very early spring. |
Photographs by Beth Sullivan, unless
otherwise noted.
