Magnolia Plantation and Gardens BirdWalk Newsletter 5.7.2017 Walks Conducted by Perry Nugent Articles Written by Jayne J Matney All Owl Photos By Guenter Weber

“The owl,” he was saying, “is one of the most curious creatures. A bird that stays awake when the rest of the world sleeps. They can see in the dark. I find that so interesting, to be mired in reality when the rest of the world is dreaming. What does he see and what does he know that the rest of the world is missing?” M.J. Rose

Barred Owls: Strix varia Owls capture our curiosity at an early age because of their unique characteristics and the mystery that seems to surround them. Being mostly nocturnal and highly camouflaged, sighting an owl in the day is fairly rare and is very exciting when it happens. Owls in general range in sizes and coloration. Here on our plantation, especially during mating and nesting season, sightings are made and amazing photos have been turned in for our pleasure. The Barred Owl sightings and photos have been the inspiration for the article this week. Barred Owls are large owls (40 to 64 cm long or 16 to 26 inches), native to eastern United States, and named after their distinct bar coloration on their feathers of the chest and belly. The bars on the chest are horizontal, while the bars on the belly are vertical. The rest of the body is mostly a mottled gray-brown. They possess a pale face with dark rings radiating about the eyes, and incredible dark brown eyes unlike other owls that have yellow eyes. These traits of the face give this owl its expressive, endearing look. They have fuzzy, soft feathers on their legs and upper feet, the head and tail are rounded, and they have yellow beaks. Being typical owls of the eastern United States, Magnolia Plantation and Gardens is a perfect sanctuary for Barred Owls. Why? Because of the large expanse of land that happens to also be their preferred type: old forests and treed swamps.

These types of areas supply the owl with the mature trees for nesting and these areas usually provide plenty of prey. Unfortunately, according to Perry Nugent, after Hurricane Hugo, the property has less mature trees in the forest than before which may restrict the number of Barred Owls in this territory. As far as general location, privacy doesn’t necessary fall into the criteria, as many Barred Owls have been increasing their numbers in suburban areas which do have some green space. Barred Owls don’t migrate, so they remain in the same geographical area year round as long as there is no dramatic habitat loss or fires prevail. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology states that a survey was done with 158 banded Barred Owls and when recaptured, NONE had moved farther than 6 miles away from the original location! They are territorial year round, but become more so during nesting and raising their young. Other owls, especially the Great Horned Owl, are primary predators on the eggs and young of these less aggressive owls. Other predators include raccoons, snakes and weasels.

Because these owls are considered the most vocal, they can be heard more than seen. “Who cooks for you; who cooks for all” is the standard interpretation of the owls’ most commonly used call. According to Audubon’s Field Guide website, there are “more than a dozen” calls including a “siren call”, a “wail”, and a funny “monkey call”.

Barred Owls have also been known to hiss or tap their bills together repeatedly if experiencing stress. In the day time, they are usually perched on branches watching the world go by or snoozing. If you have walked the trails here, don’t be surprised to know that you have probably walked right past one of these quietly perched, feathered friends without knowing it! They may be a bit more active during nesting season, however, and make themselves more conspicuous in their comings and goings. Courtships, preparing nests, feedings, and training young are among the activities which keep them busy and may allow us to see them more often.

The courtship begins with bobbing of the heads, bowing to each other, raising their wings, and calling each other. The mates probably stay together for life. The male has also been seen feeding the female even before the eggs are laid. No one has actually established which of the pair chooses the nest sight, but it is usually a large hallow in a tree, an abandoned woodpecker’s home, or a previously used Red-shouldered Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk or squirrel nest. They tend to be fairly lazy about adding to these nesting spots. Once the eggs arrive (2-3 white ones), the female incubates and the male will bring food for the female and eventually feed the female and the babies when they arrive. The young begin to fly after about 5-6 weeks of nurturing. They have one brood per year. In the evening hours, they will search for food watching from a perch or swooping down low to the ground in the forest while they listen intently on the rustling of leaves to detect small animals. Prey is mostly small mammals such as mice, rats, squirrels, rabbit, voles, weasels, and bats. But they also eat snakes, lizards, salamanders, large insects such as beetles, crickets, and grasshoppers and small birds. So don’t be surprised if a Barred Owl comes in a bit close to your campfire looking for bugs attracted to that light! Barred Owls have even been spotted wading into shallow water to catch fish, turtles, frogs, and crayfish. According to Wikipedia, a couple did photograph a Barred Owl picking up and flying away with a domestic cat in its talons. Once prey is caught, they eat the smaller prey on the spot, or with a larger animal they will land in a tree and tear the animal apart with its beak.

Interesting Facts:  Owls have eye tubes instead of eye balls. These eyes are held in place by “sclerotic rings” which prevent the owl from moving their eyes. Instead, the owls can move their heads around 270 degrees because of a specialized neck.  According to the Carolina Raptor Center in Huntersville, NC, different species of owls have different types of calls, so most do not “hoot”. For example: Barn Owls screech; the Screech Owl doesn’t screech. It will however, “trill” or “whinny”, and Pygmy Owls whistle.  Oldest fossil records for Barred Owl were dug up in 3 places, Tennessee, Florida, and Ontario Canada, and all dating at around the same time. These fossils show their age to be at least 11,000 years old.

 Barred Owl young can creep up tree trunks using their bills, talons, and wings along the bark.  Barred Owls may go on the hunt for their nest even as soon as a year prior to nesting.  Unfortunately, the oldest known Barred Owl finally met its fate when found entangled in fishing gear. This owl was at least 24 years and 1 month old and living in Minnesota. This is amazing considering that most Barred Owls live to be about 10 years in the wild and 23 years in captivity.  The Barred Owl is the only eastern United States owl that has deep brown eyes instead of the typical yellow eyes of the other owls here.

The Barred Owl is found over most of the eastern United States and southern Canada. Starting in the 60’s, their distribution has been expanding down the west coast. The west coast expansion has caused a grave situation for the easily displaced Spotted Owl species indigenous to that area. Therefore, the Barred Owl, as much as we appreciate them here, are considered an invasive species there on the west coast. When Barred Owls inhabit the same area as Horned Owls, the Barred Owl is less aggressive and will move away from them. However, when Barred Owls move into the Spotted Owl territories, the Barred Owl is the more aggressive species of the two. As a result, the Spotted Owl is in decline within the western United States. Surprisingly, scientists are now beginning to see hybridizations of the two species. According to Cornell Lab of Ornithology, statistics from the North American Breeding Bird Survey states that the Barred Owl population expansion from the 60’s to present day have seen a 1.5% increase each year, and the Partners in Flight estimates the population to be at 3 million. These increases seem to be due to new forest areas along rivers in the Great Plains region and new techniques in forest fire prevention.

The facts and information gathered for this article came from “All About Birds”, Cornell Lab of Ornithology; www.audubon.org, Audubon Field Guide; Carolina Raptor Center, Huntersville, NC; and Wikipedia.

“Owl,” said Rabbit shortly, “you and I have brains. The others have fluff. If there is any thinking to be done in this Forest- and when I say thinking I mean thinking- you and I must do it.” A.A. Milne One of our Barred Owls in bamboo garden

Check out first Barred Nest live cam of babies in nest! Watch them grow up! Cams.allaboutbird.org/channel/43/Barred_Owls

Ducklings on platform enjoying the sunshine Jo Frkovich

This past weekend was a sunny, crisp day with a light breeze making it a very pleasant experience on the bird walk. Chris Smith was our leader this week with two participants. The walkers found 40 species. As expected, nests are predominant and babies are everywhere! The Wood Duck babies seem to steal the show. These ducklings were following the parents in single line patterns where ever they may go. They have also been seen sitting up on the edges of the alligator ramps in the sunshine. The Hovering Osprey Photos below by Guenter Weber Eventually, don’t be surprised if you witness the parent hopping off the top of the ramp to exercise the ducklings’ wings as they flap and flutter their way down to the water’s surface. Other nests and chicks were being seen around the property: Anhinga, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tri-colored Heron, Green Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, and Glossy Ibis. The Glossy Ibis, which is usually harder to locate, was seen in the back of the large impoundment near the observation tower. 2 Least Bittern were also spotted even though they tend to be elusive and camouflaged. 20 or so Moorhen, 6 Laughing Gull, and 6 Least Tern were also counted near the cross dike. An Osprey was spotted hovering overhead, and Turkey Vultures were seen soaring and circling high in the sky.

Hawk being chased Photo by Guenter Weber

2 Red-shouldered Hawk were mobbed by a group of grackles. This mobbing technique used by many animals to protect babies and territories will get more intense now that the “black bird groups” are beginning their nesting. Speaking of this grouping, Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackle, and Boat-tailed Grackle were accounted for and busily building nests and attracting mates. In addition, American Crow were spotted. Also seen on the cross dike was our dependable viewing of the Northern Parula with its nest tucked in a bush there, and the Yellow Warbler. Along the trails, some highlights for the bird watchers were the Summer Tanager, Savannah Sparrow, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, and Eastern Kingbird. The Carolina Chickadee fledglings put on a comical show by chasing down and mobbing their parents as they begged for more food! A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher gathered nesting material and flew to an undisclosed nesting sight. The woodpecker family included the Red-bellied, Downy, and Pileated Woodpeckers. Mourning Dove, White-eyed Vireo, Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow, Eastern Bluebird, Common Yellow-throat, and Northern Cardinal rounded out the bird list for the week.

“The bird a nest, the spider a web, man friendship” -William Blake

Nesting ‘Lil Blue Jo Frkovich