There was also a Northern Shrike in the field looking towards Railroad Road
from Morgan Road. Ann Mitchell
On Thu, Feb 21, 2013 at 9:12 PM, <nutter.d...@me.com> wrote:
> As Gary Kohlenberg forwarded from Geneseebirds-L, Wade & Melissa Rowley
> reported 5 Short-eared Owls seen from the DEC headquarters at the end of
> Morgan Road in Savannah on Tuesday. They went back yesterday and saw only
> 3. Both days the Rowleys said the owls showed up about 5:55pm. So I was
> planning on arriving about then until Bob told me 5:30 was showtime.
>
> Ann Mitchell & I had taken a slow ride up the west side of the lake
> starting at 2pm, and when Bob called we had just arrived at the open water
> (with lots of Tundra Swans and at least 6 Mute Swans) by Lake Rd in
> Bridgeport, Seneca Falls (north of Lower Lake Rd) across from Harris Park.
> The ice appears continuous south from the corner of Lake and Lower Lake
> Roads (East Bayard St) to the Canoga Marsh, although we didn't actually
> drive Lower Lake Rd to be certain there were no polynyas.
>
> We went directly to Morgan Rd arriving at 5:20 to find the owls already
> active. Apparently today they started before 5pm, maybe because it had been
> windy and snowy until then. Anyway, I counted ten (10) Short-eared Owls in
> a single scope sweep from the DEC parking lot. Several of these may have
> been visible from Carncross Road, and some were quite distant towards
> Railroad Road. On a couple of occasions we saw owls perched on utility
> poles fairly close. Several times I saw an owl suddenly drop to the snow
> and twice I saw one arise carrying a vole. There was also some chasing,
> some barking, and also their usual deep wingbeats and erratic flight. All
> of this occurred while there was still plenty of daylight for viewing. I
> don't know if photographers would be satisfied, but we were thrilled. We
> stayed until 6pm. Lots of warm clothes and a telescope are recommended.
>
> I knew Short-eared Owls are rather communal in winter, but this is the
> first time in years I have seen so many in one area. Sibley shows females
> being rather tawny below, but all the birds I noticed looked whitish
> bellied, like males in his pictures. Maybe the color difference at a
> distance in flight is more subtle than I was expecting, or is the ratio
> really this skewed here?
>
> --Dave Nutter
>
>
> On Feb 21, 2013, at 08:21 PM, bob mcguire <bmcgu...@clarityconnect.com>
> wrote:
>
> Having tried several times recently - and unsuccessfully - for Short-
> eared Owls, and having heard that a couple were sighted recently on
> Morgan Road, I drove north this afternoon to see what I could find. I
> had a good conversation with Frank Morlock at the DEC headquarters. He
> reported trapping two SEOWs two days before and having seen more than
> that in the vicinity. He mentioned that his watch usually began at
> 5:15, and that the first owls showed up at around 5:30.
>
> With half an hour to kill, I drove over to Van Dyne Spoor Rd
> ("Sandhill Crane Unit"). I was rewarded with two SEOWs foraging over
> the far SW dike at 5:10. At that point I spoke with Dave Nutter who,
> with Ann Mitchell, was headed to Morgan Rd. Since I figured there
> would be good coverage there, I raced across town to try and reach
> Seneca Meadows before dark. I got there in plenty of time, walked out
> to a spot overlooking the huge north meadow, and waited. At 5:40 the
> first SEOW showed up and was soon joined by a second. They foraged out
> to the west and then the north, occasionally dropping out of sight
> into the vegetation for 5 minutes or so. Another SEOW came in from the
> south, followed by a Red-tailed Hawk. The hawk eventually perched at
> the edge of the far woods, and the owl continued to work back and
> forth until I left at around 6:10.
>
> I spoke once more with Dave, who reported some unbelievable number of
> owls at Morgan Road. I look forward to reading his post!
>
> Bob McGuire
>
>
>
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