Great story out of eastern Pennsylvania of an Eastern Screech Owl that came down a families chimney and sat rather calmly in their fireplace. They called a bird enthusiast friend and the story had a happy ending!
Thursday (12/27) was a day I just wanted to avoid the crowds and take a drive, get some fresh air and see if we could find any birds. It was after lunch, not the best time, and our favorite remote ranch land area was looking like a bust so I just set about shooting some stock footage of a pair of Sandhill Cranes. Not every day can be an Eagle or Caracara day, but you just never know when luck will come your way. Lately, I've been lucky.
I was fortunate to be engulfed by a passing "Flight of Swallows" as I was focusing my attention on one of the Cranes. Several Red-Shouldered Hawks became excited and then Swallows surrounded us. I didn't notice untill I looked at the footage later, but you can see the Crane take notice of some disturbance developing in the atmosphere - the Crane looks up and then around and then there is a sudden onset of a Flight of Swallows much like the approach and passage of a storm. The expression on the Crane is priceless at 1080p. I panned to cover the swallows and by then the greatest concentration was right overhead. Hawks began swooping in to take a few swallows. Later one of the Hawks roosted right in front of us as the straggler Swallows fell in behind the main Flight. All in all it took about 10 minutes for the Flight to pass. What was most interesting was the reaction of the big birds from the Crane watching with curiosity to the top predator Hawks attacking the swallows much like sharks try and pick out fish from large schools in the ocean. Also got to spend some quality time with one of the Red Shouldered Hawks toward the end. The Flight was moving in mid-afternoon, most birds were swirling, but the Flight itself seemed to be making forward progress northward on the order of several miles an hour as we caught up with them further up the road about 30 minutes later. You just never know - carry your camera!
Red-Shouldered Hawk
Routine Sandhill Crane video leading up to the "Flight of Swallows"
While we wait for Eastern Screech Owl nesting season to heat up in late winter...daytime birding overall has been picking up in Florida. Here is a video of a chance encounter with Eagles and Crested Caracaras - always exciting to see and the common crow who tries to steal the show.
Male Painted Bunting observed on December 9th, 2012
Between December 14th and January 5th you can participate in the annual bird count. Information is on the Audubon web site. Even if you don't participate, winter is a good time for bird watching. Owls are starting to call more often as we get deeper into winter in Florida. Here is a photo of a Painted Bunting I took Sunday to get the bird watching juices flowing.
This gave me a chuckle this afternoon. Getting the nest boxes ready for owl season and trimming some branches etc this afternoon I noticed this Gecko who had claimed a nest box as his new home. Trust me - this is going to end badly! Nobody told him that little lizards are Screech Owls number one food in Florida. All the more reason for the owls to move in this winter - Dinner is Waiting!!
Little Lizard thinks he's going to make a home here - not!
We've been fortunate to see some nice examples of daytime birds of prey this fall(eagles and hawks -see below), but frankly they are not as exciting as owls of the night. Winter is coming and that's the time when Screech Owl activity starts to increase around central Florida. We've also seen some frisky squirrels the last few days and this is the time they start their second breeding cycle. Last season the squirrels used the Screech Owl nest box to deliver a litter before the Screech Owls needed it, but they basically fill up the entire box with sticks and leaves and make it unusable. After we cleaned it out in preparation for the owls the squirrels still used is as a flop house (more on that in another post) and generally made it clear we had to move the owl box to, not the best location, but a safe location. The owls I think appreciated the safety. Around here there are simply too many dangerous predators for nests in trees that are marginal at best such as in the crevices of Palmetto Trees.
If you are going to try and attract Screech Owls time is running out to put up a box so that they can find it and begin to make it part of the route and consider using it as a nest box in late winter. Our owls have laid eggs as early as late January and as late as mid March - the early nesting was a cold winter and the late a warm winter. To build your own nest or buy - There are plenty of plans out there like this one from Cornell. We bought and love the Stovall 6H Screech Owl Box it has a unique feature of a perch about six inches or so below the hole that makes it easy for the owls to perch and generally interact with the owlets with less effort. And an extra layer of wood around the entrance that again makes it easier for owls to sit and harder for squirrels to chew it up. If you do decide to build your own use real cedar wood and good hardware. I made one out of pine by exactly duplicating the Stovall box and it was taken over by Africanized Bees - cedar repels insects. By the time you consider buying cedar and quality hardware you may come to the conclusion its hard to beat the Stovall. From an earlier bog I noted that a perch for the owls in the yard near the nest box is also a good idea. A nest box would make a great Christmas gift for the nature lover. Good luck this year!
Female Screech Owl Keeps in Touch With Male and Owlets in the Nest Box
In the last post about Screech Owl camouflage I noted how the male and female stand guard over the nest box during the day by trying to blend in with their surroundings and taking extreme measures to hide when danger was near. Another interesting observation related to this behavior was the way they communicate during the day. In the clip above you will note the female making continuous low volume - high frequency - calls to her mate and the owlets in the nearby nest box. You can see her inhaling and exhaling via the abdomen muscles to make these calls without any change in expression or movement of face and head. If you listen carefully you can hear the male Screech Owl occasionally reply to her calls as well as the Owlets making very faint calls. This was observed in the days after the mother owl moved out of the nest box during the day. Due to the unusual location of the nest box the parents could not be very close like they might be if it was in a tree. In this case, the stealthy communication is probably a way for all to keep in touch and is clearly led by the female owl. What is interesting is how far and well these calls travel. Just another new example of the talents of these amazing little owls.
Note: We were fortunate enough to make some fantastic observations and videos of unique Screech Owl behavior in our backyard during the nesting season this past May. These dynamic little owls are a lot more complex and intelligent than any literature I've read gives them credit for. This Blog will be edited with more details and analysis over time.
We hoped the Screech Owls were going to come back this spring after success in 2011. However, in late December 2011 the nest box was taken over by squirrels and stuffed with twigs. After cleaning it out, wood rats tried to move in, and then the squirrels started coming back - that's a story for another blog post. It was clear the location up on a 12 foot high 2x4 on our back fence in the woods wasn't going to work - it was a jungle back there and there was no chance of a successful season with the box in that location. As a last resort, I put the nest box only about 8 feet off the ground at the gable end on an aluminum outbuilding in January, installed the nest cam and we waited. Not the best location, but a safe location that no critters could get to.
The grey male and red female could be heard, and occasionally seen, courting in early March. They were first seen inside the box on March 10th and the first egg was laid on March 13th - success! Everything went smoothly with lots of activity inside the box and frequent nighttime feeding by the male Screech Owl. The female only left the nest briefly at night - a routine had set in.
Screech Owl Nest Box Location and usual location of the parents.
A video showing the parents on the job in the positions in the photo above
April 18th - I walked around the back of the "shed" and came face-to-face with a big pair of yellow eyes about 6 feet off the ground right in front of me at eye level - stopped - what was that? - and then it was gone. I approached slowly and it was the male grey Screech Owl. He would not look at me, I backed off and he squinted, but didn't move. I left him alone, but came back each evening and walked slowly along the fence line looking in the dense oaks and pepper trees and found him there each day in various different positions and started to film him at a distance with a telephoto lens He had probably been there since March waiting to start hunting and feeding as soon as it got dark,
Male Screech Owl Hiding Near Nest box
Transformer Owl Part One - The "Predator" Effect.
Looking at the tapes from May first I saw the cloaking behavior from the male owl similar to when we first met, although not as extreme as I saw that first night. He was apparently reacting to me watering the plants and moving closer with the hose as the video ran on a tripod. This is shape-shifting at its best. He never really "warmed" up to us over two months and never once faced us with both eyes fully open.
Male Easter Grey Screech Owl - before and after
Video of Transformation
Transformer Owl Part Two - Extreme Danger
The red female Screech Owl moved out of the nest box for the most part on May 2nd as it was getting hot and crowded in there. She set up her post to guard the nest in a Palmetto Tree near and above the nest where she could come to the rescue during the day if needed. She did an amazing job of finding spots with red color that she could blend in with. But she was in the open in the daytime - a very dangerous position for her. Here she spots a large Red Shouldered Hawk on the house rooftop - she is at 12 feet and looking up - the reaction here is fierce and immediate. In the daytime the big hawk could have her for lunch in a heartbeat The Hawks rule the daytime skies - the Owls the night!
Extreme Rapid Transformation - Danger!
Extreme Rapid Transformation - Danger!
Red Shouldered Hawks in the backyard use the same perches in the daytime that the owls use at night!
Transformer Owl Part Three - Mild Danger - Amazing Slow Transform
The red female had found the perfect spot to sit in the daytime on the cut end of an old reddish brown Palmetto Branch next to another red/brown branch. Here a large Raccoon rummaging around in the daytime is scared and runs through a pile of old wood and brush and climbs the fence right below the owl. She is initially on high alert by the noise and then assess the situation and slowly transforms into a branch as the Raccoon walks by on the fence just below. Since the Raccoon was so close a slow but complete transform seemed to be her choice to avoid attracting attention.
On Center Stage - The Great Transformer Screech Owl
Transformer Screech Owl - Before and After
Screech Owls are not safe in trees with these guys around.
Transformer Owl Part Four - Minor Threat
Later the same Raccoon is walking along the fence below the red female and you can see by her reaction she is on guard and does a slight transformer move as she does not sense significant danger - but she is watchful and ready.
Not Too Worried
Transformer Owl Part Five - Meh - You are not worthy! Here I'm coming to get the camera after running 14 minutes of video and as I come around the shed into view the female is initially mildly concerned, but when she sees it's me she give a rather indifferent expression and goes back to relaxing. Their situational awareness and ability to parse threats and respond to many different scenarios is amazing!
Video from May 6 in the late afternoon five days before fledging. Its hot and crowded in the nest box and the owlets are taking a nap. The mother has been spending her time outside the nest box for several days now. The ever curious and resourceful Owlbert, the second eldest has found a unique way to get some space and stay a bit cooler by hanging upside down from the perching bar over the other two owlets . A bat imitation - Brilliant!
it has a unique feature of a perch about six inches or so below the hole that makes it easy for the owls to perch and generally interact with the owlets with less effort. And an extra layer of wood around the entrance that again makes it easier for owls to sit and harder for squirrels to chew it up. If you do decide to build your own use real cedar wood and good hardware. I made one out of pine by exactly duplicating the Stovall box and it was taken over by Africanized Bees - cedar repels insects. By the time you consider buying cedar and quality hardware you may come to the conclusion its hard to beat the Stovall. From an earlier bog I noted that a perch for the owls in the yard near the nest box is also a good idea. A nest box would make a great Christmas gift for the nature lover. Good luck this year!
