Subject: [Tweeters] Snowy Owl behavior
Date: Jan 9 19:06:19 2012
From: Mike M - strix-nebulosa at centurylink.net


Dennis and Lee,

You have some good insights. I am not an avian physiologist by any stretch
of the imagination. However, I do have some experience with large owls.
First I would agree that these birds are not under a high amount of stress
or they would not be here. After all these birds just flew 2000 or more
miles to reach Washington. It would not be a big deal to move another
hundred or two if the current location becomes less desirable for any reason
and that could be competition, weather, crash in the local rodents, presence
of too many people, or any number of other reasons. Animals feel stress for
many different reasons that we do and it different for every species or even
individual. For example I know folks who have done bear research in Montana
and Idaho for decades now. I have heard many times that when bears are shot
with dart guns, then stuck with needles, holes punched in there ears and
tags inserted, and radio collars riveted around their necks they remain
fairly calm. But the sound of vehicle causes heart rate and and blood
pressure to sky rocket. SO being manhandled by researchers is far less
terrifying than the mere sound of a truck. Similarly with your pet dog at
home. Look at what we put them through (especially if you have kids) and
most animals will stay calm. Yet the mere sound of a vacuum cleaner causes
tremendous stress in the dog.
To move to birds. I have handled (for banding or radio telemetry) many
species of owls including, Western Screech, Flammulated, Burrowing, Barn,
Great Gray, Spotted and Great Horned. There are many differences between
individual birds. However, I noticed with all these they are very calm
around people. I have had both Great Gray and Spotted Owls actually fall
asleep in my arms while others were taking measurements and affixing leg
bands. Only to have the bird's pulse accelerate and the bird go into full
alert mode at the sound of another raptor like a Red-tailed Hawk, Goshawk or
Great Horned Owl. To think like a bird: People that are restricted to the
ground are one thing but a Great Horned Owl now that is something to be
afraid of.

That being said it is still inappropriate to harass these species. Will it
reduce their ability to survive the winter, probably not. Will it cause them
to pack up and move the show to Oregon or east of the Cascades , probably.
I suspect these birds have a lot more to fear from people than a few
unethical photographers. The Snowy here recently ended it's life by
attempting to land on a barren "tree" except for those 2 metallic "vines"
that reach over to the next branchless "tree". Feet on the "tree" at the
same instant the wings touch one of those "vines" and the bird was
electrocuted.

One big disclaimer the above lecture refers to largely mobile (migratory)
non territorial birds. Twice I have seen Great Gray Owls abandoned nests
because too many people got too close too many times. I know of one case in
Idaho where a Northern Hawk Owl was killed by a car while fleeing people
with cameras. The above is meant solely to inform and IS NOT to be taken as
an excuse for approaching birds too closely. Remember the other discussion
about Barred Owl raking heads and drawing blood. Nesting Snowy owls will
attack fox and even wolves if they get too close. The rule of thumb that if
the animal alters it's behavior because of you, you are too close.

I know it's long but I hope this helps and informs.

Mike
Colville

-----Original Message-----
From: Dennis Paulson
Sent: Monday, January 09, 2012 12:56 PM
To: TWEETERS tweeters
Subject: Re: [Tweeters] Snowy Owl etiquette

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
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Tweeters mailing list
> Tweeters at u.washington.edu
> http://mailman1.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters

-----
Dennis Paulson
1724 NE 98 St.
Seattle, WA 98115
206-528-1382
dennispaulson at comcast.net



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