SNN (ScrollingNetworkNews) ✿ ✿ Our Mel and Sydney returned to their nesting box with plenty of bonding occurring..but after 2.5 months of Sydney in the box from Dec 2013 to mid Feb 2014, the lack of prey gifts from Mel ( perhaps due to the severe and historic drought underway in California)and they have forgone the nesting process this year as many other raptors ✿ Compared to other owls of similar size, the Barn Owl has a much higher metabolic rate, requiring relatively more food. Pound for pound, Barn Owls consume more rodents – often regarded as pests by humans – than possibly any other creature. ✿ We remind viewers that sometimes owlets may not survive - the parents will dispose of things in "The Owl Way" -viewer discretion is advised, this is nature and the "Owl way". ✿ ~ ✿ “Animals, like us, are living souls. They are not things. They are not objects. Neither are they human. Yet they mourn. They love. They dance. They suffer. They know the peaks and chasms of being.” ― Gary Kowalski, The Souls of Animals ✿ Each species is a masterpiece, a creation assembled with extreme care and genius." ~ E.O. Wilson

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Take Off

After being found by wildlife officers in Cornwall about a month ago, the young owl, under a year old, was skinny and had been attacked by crows.
The last snow owl irruption, a sudden increase in the local population of a species,  was the winter of 2005-2006. Since lemming populations are cyclic, going through peaks of high and low abundance every three to five years

While known as a migrant, the snowy owl’s migratory movements are predictable and are believed to be related to the abundance of it’s main prey, lemmings.

Nielsen reminded the crowd that if they see a snowy owl with abnormal behavior it’s important to report it. This includes if the owl looks tame, which usually means they are weak.


Meanwhile in KALAMAZOO — An early Comair flight out of the Kalamazoo airport was briefly delayed Friday morning when a snowy stubbornly held its ground on the taxiway before some aggressive shooing by airport workers prompted it to move far enough to allow a safe takeoff.
The massive snowy owl has taken up residence at the airport, delighting area birders and nonbirders alike by its rare presence this far south.

They are lining up against the airport fences hoping for a glimpse of the bird. The Audubon Society of Kalamazoo has sent emails to its members advising them of its presence. Others have posted the information on statewide bird alerts.
"Any time a birder sees a new bird, it is exciting," Alfes said. "After a couple of years, birders have seen all the typical birds in their local area, so the only way to get that old excitement back is to find the occasional rare bird. That's what's going on for birders in this area now.
"It's a real rush."