Here also is an in-depth article about Larry and his work.
Survival Skills
At mid-day, this adult Barred Owl was wide awake with an unobstructed view of Arboretum Drive. Generally, owls sleep during the day. At noon they are often hidden deep inside the shadows and foliage of a Western Red Cedar.
This owl was out in the open and surprisingly alert. Curiously, it did not appear to be hunting. My friend, Carlene, had mentioned seeing a young owl in the area. So, after taking a few photos, I left the puzzling owl behind and moved on.
Sure enough, in the nearby shadows of Sequoias, a young owl noticed my arrival. It bobbed its head around in the exaggerated fashion of youth - apparently calculating the distance between us - adults do a similar maneuver but it is almost imperceptible. The youthful behavior and all the fluffy white down clearly indicated its lack of maturity.
I stood quietly. The young owl's interest declined. I suspect it is one of the two young documented in the June 14th post - two weeks ago.
It resumed the removal of down.
After a while, it began stretching and moving about inside the grove. The bare inner branches resemble a Jungle Gym for young owls. It is interesting to notice the occasional pure white feathers highlighted against the beige and brown.
I read somewhere that young owls retain the light beige stripes in their tail feathers for the first year. The implication being that by the second year the off-white coloring in the tail is replaced with white. Later, in the post, you will see an adult example that makes me question this logic.
The young owl's increased activity showed off its 'pantaloons'.
The fluffy 'leggings' must help retain heat but as the weather warms up that becomes a somewhat questionable benefit. In any case, they certainly give the young owl a comical and immature look.
Occasionally, it exhibited flashes of focus. Similar to way adults behave when hunting. I did not think much of it.
I was startled to see how much its tail feathers had grown. If we assume the young owl is about two months old then it has been out of the nest for about a month. From previous sightings, I assume they leave the nest without visible tail feathers. If the tail feathers in this photo are approximately eight inches long then they would have grown at a rate of nearly 2 inches a week. I have made multiple assumptions, so the true rate may vary considerably. However, there is no doubt that their tail feathers grow fast.
Similar to Cooper's Hawks, the tail feathers must enable the owls to make tight turns between the branches, trunks, and foliage of the inner canopy. For a predator who makes its living catching smaller creatures, sharp turns are critical.
Finally, after circling around inside the grove and the young owl perched on the fence. It was close to the ground and fairly close to the adult. I would not have been surprised to see the adult bring it food.
This photo shows another example of the young owl's intense focus. I was too distracted to really take notice at the time. While this was transpiring, the first adult moved closer, I spotted the second young owl high overhead and the second adult flew into the grove while being escorted by a highly, aggressive crow.
The second adult owl with beige stripes on its tail feathers. Reproducing adults are said to be at least two years old. At this point, the beige stripes in the tail feathers should have turned white. Something does not add up.
However, the movement of the first adult, from its original position, between Arboretum Drive and the young owls, suddenly made sense. I suspect it was on guard duty, watching the young owls while the mate was out hunting. Sadly, the mate returned 'empty-handed'.
Despite their exceptional skills, the owls do not always find food. Their special predatory adaptations include excellent eyesight (including low-light vision), pinpoint hearing, and wings which allow virtually silent flight. Plus, they can eat small prey whole and simply cough up a ball of indigestible bones, feathers, or fur.
I overlooked and underestimated the young owl on the fence. When I turned back it had food. Immediately, I began to wonder what it was eating. It took a while for me to realize that the young owl most likely caught the food all on its own.
The young owl carried its meal up to a broad moss-covered branch, which provided a stable 'table' and a higher level of safety.
However, the tree was closer to Arboretum Drive and ultimately the young owl decided to move a little further away. It finished the food deeper in the shadows of the grove.
From when I first saw it, with the partially eaten prey, until the food totally disappeared was over fifteen minutes. The young owl struggled with the process. I don't think it fully understood how to use its bill. Ultimately, it tried to swallow the bulk of the body whole. At that moment, I was afraid it might choke. Fortunately, it did not.
Locally, I believe Barred Owls eat primarily rats, rabbits, and squirrels. It is kind of ironic that Barred Owls originated in the eastern part of North America as did the Eastern Cottontails and the Eastern Gray Squirrels. The majority of our rats are from Norway. All four species had help from humanity (intentional or not) to reach this area. None of them are natives of the Pacific Northwest. Our local ecosystem is a curious conglomerate of creatures.
When I noticed movement out the corner of my eye I glanced back toward the fence. This time one of the adults was on the fence. What I saw, was the flash as it went to the ground. It promptly returned to the fence with food.
It took just six minutes for the adult to consume its prey. Experience counts. It actually parsed out many small mouthfuls and ended up swallowing a much more manageable final portion, as compared to the youngster. During the process, the second adult moved to the fence. Quickly, it jumped to the ground and came up with a third prey item.
The second adult carried its catch up near the second, more sedentary young owl and shared its food. I have watched owls catch prey before but never like this. Three catches in less than 30 minutes and all four members of the family fed.
Apparently, the first young owl located a rabbit's nest. I have read, that when young rabbits are born their mothers are unable to carry them to a safer location. The best they can do is to cover and hide the young. They must return to feed them but apparently minimize their trips to avoid detection.
These particular young were getting fairly good-sized. I suspect they may have been starting to move around and look for food on their own. Obviously, their hearing, eyesight, and escape-speed was not up to the task of evading Barred Owls - even an inexperienced one.
A couple of days later I spotted this rabbit in the same area. To survive, among hungry owls, the Eastern Cottontails will need to up their game.
Exceptional hearing might help.
I wonder if having four ears will do the trick.
By the way, if you would like to see another surprise sighting don't overlook the challenge in the Going Native section below.
******************
Tsuloss Watch:
The young eagle in Monty and Marsha's nest continues to grow. Sometime in the next month or so, I expect Tsuloss will leave the nest. Several readers have now sent in their guess for when Tsuloss will fledge.
If you would like to play along send me your name and the date when you hope or expect Tsuloss will leave the nest. July is just around the corner!
July 1st - Barry Saver
July 2nd - Tyler Mangum
July 4th - Larry Hubbell
July 6th - Joe Clancy
July 6th - Joe Clancy
July 8th - Cynthia Jones
July 9th - Lynne Kelly
July 10th - Lynn Adams
July 14th - Helen Spiro
July 15th - Jeff Graham
July 16th - Audrey Weitkamp
(By the way, the nestling period for Bald Eagles, as stated on All About Birds, can vary quite a bit. It is listed as 56 to 98 days. This implies to me that Tsuloss might just as well fledge in late July or even August.)
The only rules I can think of for this impromptu, prize-less contest are:
A) I plan to only publish the name associated with the first entry I receive for each date. I want to encourage the widest variety of dates as possible.
B) Practice hops do not count e.g. when the young eagle flaps, lifts up and then comes right back down in the nest. Also branching - hopping from branch to branch - does not count. Tsuloss must leave the air space above the nest.
C) Falling does not count. Tsuloss must leave the nest and exhibit an ability to stay in the air. However, if you do see Tsuloss fall from the nest and land on the ground, especially if unable to fly, please call:
Lynnwood PAWS at 425-787-2500
PAWS has rehabilitated and released 3 out of Tsuloss's 4 siblings during the last 2 years. (The fourth sibling did not require assistance.)
The following information may help you make a more accurate guess:
Eaglet Patrol - The post suggesting when Tsuloss might have hatched.
Tsuloss - The last eagle update.
By the way, Tsuloss is most easily seen with binoculars from the north side of Montlake Cut. The nest site is shown on this Union Bay Map.
Long-tailed Weasel: Surprisingly, this small, native predator was seen running down the street in front of my house and crossing (the very busy) 24th Avenue in Montlake - twice. This is the first time I ever remember seeing one. I have no doubt our current influx of rabbits has made Montlake a much more appealing location for weasels.
Here is one more photo for those who read all the way to the end.
No comments:
Post a Comment