Subject: [Tweeters] Snowy Owl etiquette
Date: Jan 9 12:56:44 2012
From: Dennis Paulson - dennispaulson at comcast.net


Thank you, Lee, for voicing a much more reasonable assessment of this issue. I think there has been too much inflammatory language and too many statements about the Snowy Owls at Damon Point and Boundary Bay that just aren't true. Today's discussion contained phrases such as "can easily die of starvation" that not only get people all fired up but misrepresent the situation. And it feeds the idea to put out more signs and more regulation, something many of us go out in nature to get away from for a while.

What I wrote about this a few weeks ago is still true. The owls are all still there; the stress that is constantly imagined has not driven them elsewhere. They are not near starvation. They are not in an inappropriate habitat. Other than during occasional human misbehavior they are not stressed any more than they might be in a world without humans, where they had to watch out for wolves, coyotes, eagles, and other predators. They evolved to be alert and to fly if something disturbs them. I don't think that adds extra stress unless it happens too often.

Having also spent part of a day out there, I didn't feel that it was happening too often. I agree with Lee that I saw much more respect than harassment. I walked so far around one owl and the people who were photographing it that I inadvertently scared up another owl that was out of my vision behind a log until it flew, and I suspect that happens sometimes. Of all the time I was there, there were owls in the air no more than 1-2% of the time (possibly as many as 10 times of less than 30 seconds each involving not even all of the seven birds that were there), and that would surely be evidence that there was not much disturbance. If an owl flies every once in a while, I truly don't think that is harmful to it. As soon as they go out to hunt in the evening, they are doing a lot more flying, and they are good at it! They fly around and chase each other as well as going after prey.

It would be great if someone with avian physiological knowledge could come up with data to show exactly how much "stress" is involved in a 100-yard flight.

I did notice that the owls were looking around quite a bit when I was there, even when no one was particularly close to them, and I wondered if that was something they would do if there were no people out there at all, but of course I don't know any way to find that out. We need a few wildlife cameras pointed at the area. Or perhaps if there is ever a time with no people, someone could observe them at a considerable distance to see if they all go to sleep then!

Finally, about the owls' sleep being disturbed by us. My guess is that our owls sleep most of the night as well as whatever parts of the day they can. They are not hunting all night long. They go out and catch something and take it back to land and eat it. Then there's nothing to do but nap. The night worker who sleeps during the day has to be awake for their 8 hours at night. The Snowy Owl doesn't punch a time clock.

I spent a summer with nesting Snowy Owls, when there was 24-hour daylight. The owls tended to hunt in the evening, when the sun was relatively low, but they also hunted during the day. They "slept" in between, but I never saw a time when they weren't alert to their surroundings. The female dozed on the nest but immediately opened her eyes if she heard a sound, which could just as easily have been a jaeger calling as it flew over as one of us clicking a camera shutter. They are well adapted to catch 40 winks whenever they can, and from anything I know about bird biology, those owls are getting plenty of rest.

Dennis


On Jan 9, 2012, at 11:44 AM, lee at leerentz.com wrote:

> I spent a long day at Damon Point on Sunday, and simply didn't see the
> Snowy Owl harassment that some are reporting. Yes, there were perhaps 25
> photographers on a beautiful day, and nearly all were using long lenses
> and keeping a respectful distance. Yes, there were times when a birder or
> photographer or dog walker got too close, and an owl took flight and flew
> 100 yards or so. This is unfortunate, but for a bird that has flown 2,000
> miles and is happily feeding on ducks and rats at Damon Point, I'm not
> convinced that this is a crisis. Yes, the very act of birding changes bird
> behavior, but probably not that significantly in a world where huge
> habitat changes and population growth have had tremendous effects on
> birds.
>
> The Snowy Owls have different individual tolerances toward people. If, in
> the middle of the day, an owl has its eyes wide and is constantly looking
> around and seems agitated, people are probably too close and it is
> probably getting ready to fly. That's a time to back off. But if the bird
> just looks sleepy and is staying in one place, it is probably okay to stay
> about 75 to 100 feet away.
>
> At the end of a day, when the sun is sinking low, the birds do become more
> active and there is more flying up to taller perches. But most of this is
> natural behavior as the birds get ready for hunting.
>
> By the way, we counted over ten owls near the point at the end of the day
> yesterday, and suspect there were more in the area of Damon Point with
> trees. It was spectacular, and my high point in this young year. If you
> haven't been out there yet, be sure to go! And, yes, the photography is
> wonderful and is a great means of celebrating the magnificence of these
> birds.
>
> There is a Great Gray Owl visiting the area of Kingsville, Ontario, and
> some birders in the Great Lakes region are upset about the "circus"
> atmosphere of so many long lenses and binoculars pointed at the bird. But
> it doesn't seem to faze the bird, which recently swooped down from a perch
> to snag some prey within ten feet of some of the 75-100 people watching it
> at that moment. Perhaps it seems kind of silly for all these people to
> join in such a circus atmosphere, but the experience is something that
> most will never forget, and it helps forge a connection with nature. That
> is good.
>
> Lee Rentz
> Shelton, WA
> lee at leerentz.com
>
>
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-----
Dennis Paulson
1724 NE 98 St.
Seattle, WA 98115
206-528-1382
dennispaulson at comcast.net