Elusive owls make news in Caledon
Tuesday March 9 2010
By Phyllis Graydon, On the Wing-more from this author
Owls topped the news this past week. Here’s what was seen: a Snowy Owl on Highway 9 and Mount Wolfe Road by Pam Yantz; a grey phased Screech Owl was spotted by Gordon Cameron trying to catch moles and mice under his feeder; and a Barred Owl was seen by John Abbott from Centreville Creek as he was skiing on his property.
Our Naturalist Club used to have an annual “Owl Prowl”, but lately owls have become increasingly difficult to find. Several years ago it was easy to find Short-eareds in Caledon fields, Long Eareds in cemeteries, Saw-whets and Screech in conservation areas. Now when an owl is sighted in Caledon, we get very excited about it.
I remember being asked once by a fellow birder “What is euphoria?” His answer was seeing your first Snowy Owl or a seasoned birder seeing his 40th! No other bird seems to cast such a feeling.
Several of us went to find the Snowy Owl. We checked all of the roads in the general area but didn’t find it. In North America, these circumpolar owls breed in arctic tundra from Alaska east to the Hudson Bay and northern Labrador. In winter, they withdraw from the high arctic to central prairie region of Canada. During eruptive southward flights, when their natural food source becomes scarce (voles, arctic hares and lemmings), a few are reported in the Holland Marsh area and the odd one in Caledon.
Snowy Owls favour nesting on the rolling tundra. Nests are in a slight depression on the ground and lined with grass, feathers or moss. Usually four to nine eggs are laid, but in a boom year there can be as many as 14! Incubation is by the females.
As I was checking out the different roads for the elusive owl, I did spot a Northern Harrier, Two Red-tailed Hawks and a dark phase Rough-legged. Elizabeth Morton was taking her early morning walk in Palgrave this past week and was delighted to spot the Bohemian Waxwings. She also saw and heard approximately 12 Blue Jays trilling and courting. In another area, her husband Gordon had to settle for a Northern Harrier. For the past couple of weeks Edna Sears and I have heard the Cardinals performing their early spring mating calls from the woods.
Tim Roberts from Heart Lake reported a Cooper’s and a Red-tailed Hawk in his yard as well as lots of House Finches. He also saw a lone Snow Bunting. Ian Anderson from Palmer Circle has tons of American Goldfinches and a sporadic Red-bellied Woodpecker visitor. This past week, we had both male and female Red-bellieds at our suet feeder.
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