N.H. Barred Owls in Trouble

[Waumbek]

Barred owls--the ones with the "who-cooks-for-you" call--are struggling in NH because of a cyclic decline in their food supply (the red backed vole) and heavy snow cover in northern NH. I haven't heard their call in our woods all winter, as I usually do. They've moved south, apparently, where people are finding them starving. Not much to do about natural phenomena, I guess, but I'd be curious if anyone is hearing or seeing them in northern NH, i.e., where there's been snow cover more or less continuously since Thanksgiving. Here's the report.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

A friend sent me a picture of one taken in Woodstock a few weeks ago.

 

[Jason Berard]

I've seen 5 Barred Owls in the Upper Valley in the last month. All during the day, perched in trees by the roadside. That's more than I usually see.....maybe they are heading south.

 

[Puck]

The article states "I just walked over and wrapped my daughter's blanket around it and we headed to the wildlife center in Keene, which was closed. So we ended up at state police headquarters," said Vorfeld. "He was a baby - only about three pounds or so."

Three pounds would be a big barred owl. Barreds mate in Feb. By late Feb (now) they have started to lay eggs. They are asyncronistic meaning the lay an egg every few days. The first hatched will get the first food. In lean times the younger siblings can starve.

These owls are cavity nesters. They love a hollow on a tree that has lost a limb.

Owls will expand and contract thier ranges according to thier food source. If there are great horned owls in the area the barred owls will become the prey.

 

[Chip]

what's the story on the vole population ? they're on many animals' menus. if the population crash is due to predation, it's a natural cycle.

 

[gaiagirl]

what's the story on the vole population ? they're on many animals' menus. if the population crash is due to predation, it's a natural cycle.

It was a horrible mast year, with nut and cone crops on the paltry side, hence a big drop in small mammal numbers. Last year was an excellent mast year and the year before as well, which is typical as this tends to be cyclical and regular for trees in the Northeast and elsewhere.

Small mammals feed the owls, so owls are eking out an existence this year and many are probably starving to death. A rehabber on the coast of Maine recently got a young Great Horned owl full of porcupine quills --- that's the sign of a desperately hungry bird of prey. Owls are also having trouble with the deep snow. Many have been hit by cars this winter coming close to the road to chase rodents where they can find them easily.

 

[MikeM]

Here in central vermont I feed the birds. In 15 years I have never had so few birds at our feeders as this year. Other neighbors report low bird #'s but friends in other towns report normal numbers. No signs of cats in the neighborhood. I'm wondering about a localized illness or maybe they found better food sources or shelter in other locales. However, we had lots of red squirrels. Then a barred owl hung out for a couple of weeks and picked them off one by one. He would spend most of the day in a pine limb near the feeder. Very cool to watch, not so cool for the squirrels.

 

[Puck]

Here in central vermont I feed the birds. In 15 years I have never had so few birds at our feeders as this year. Other neighbors report low bird #'s but friends in other towns report normal numbers. No signs of cats in the neighborhood. I'm wondering about a localized illness or maybe they found better food sources or shelter in other locales. However, we had lots of red squirrels. Then a barred owl hung out for a couple of weeks and picked them off one by one. He would spend most of the day in a pine limb near the feeder. Very cool to watch, not so cool for the squirrels.

It is a banner year for winter finches in CT this year for the very reason Gaiagirl explained. I am going to start owling.I hit an area on the Quinipiac Blue Trail (See I made it hiking related.) Last year was sparse I had a sawwhet, one barred and one gh owl. This year I had one GH olw fly over. I suspect our owl numbers may be up although there have been no reports of longeareds, shorteareds, boreal and snowy owls in the state.

 

[jrichard]

It was a horrible mast year, with nut and cone crops on the paltry side, hence a big drop in small mammal numbers.

On the plus side, shouldn't this mean there will be less ticks?

 

[Karst]

It was a horrible mast year, with nut and cone crops on the paltry side

We had another huge mast year here in NE RI(almost wall-to-wall acorns on the lawn) and consequently have been inundated by grey squirrels and chipmunks. The local fox, fisher, hawks and owls have not visibly reduced the population of either(of course maybe they have and I just didn't see what it could have been).

We've had an average year for birds at the feeders. However this is our first year with yellow shafted flickers and boy when they start wailing away at the suet feeder all the other birds sloooowly back away. That is one long beak with a mighty forceful stab at the suet.

 

[Stan]

I hope the barred owl decline is just part of a natural cycle and not an indication that something more chronic is underway.

Our yard has seen a proliferation of nuthatches which I speculate is a response to the winter moth infestation. I think I'd suffer the winter moths if it kept the nuthatches around though the moths chewed up our cherry tree and blueberry bushes pretty bad the last couple of years.

 

[Tim Seaver]

This one has been spending a lot of time in my backyard attempting to capture the family of squirrels that have been menacing my house. This was taken this afternoon. He looked hungry!

 

[Waumbek]

This one has been spending a lot of time in my backyard attempting to capture the family of squirrels that have been menacing my house. This was taken this afternoon. He looked hungry!

Duck and cover! (Fabulous photo, Tim.)

 

[Puck]

What a great photo! Mind if I set it as my new wallpaper?

 

[sardog1]

That is easily the best barred owl photo I've seen in a long time, if not ever. Thanks for posting it!

 

[SherpaKroto]

Tim, as usual, you capture the essence of the subjects that you photogragh. Beautiful shot!