[mou] Territorial behavior exhibited by Great Gray Owl Pine County

[Denise Ryan]

A few observations I wanted to share - but not an attack thing -- 

First - I went looking at Two Harbors for the Boreal Owl by the light
house on Monday at dawn.  No Boreal owls there - but I wasn't
surprised.  Along that stretch of trail I encountered no less than 8
different GGOs at very close range sitting in the sun.  It would be a
brave or foolish Boreal to hang out in the company of so many large
owls.  So, if you all are looking for Boreal, don't look where you see
lots of GGOs.  But if others have comments on this - I'd like to learn
more.

Second - while watching a GGO sleep in the sun in Sax Zim over the
weekend I heard a Black Capped Chickadee sing off in the distance. 
The GGO heard it too.  He/she woke up, turned her head and did a yawn
/ bill snap in the direction of the Chickadee.  I'll admit that I do a
great deal of anthropomorphizing with critters, but this certainly
seemed to be a commentary from the owl on the Chickadee song.  I've
never seen that before.

Third - I did finally find a Boreal around Two Harbors in very thick
conifers after the Chickdee brigade located it for me.  The Boreal Owl
used some great hiding techniques to lose the Chickadees.  First it
flew under a bough heavy with snow - so heavy it was like a little
shelter completely covering the bird.  It was pretty much out of sight
until the Chickadees found it again and flushed it.  Then it moved to
another branch and hit its face behind a snowy bough. Only the face
was hidden and the back was seen - but blended in with the trunk of
the tree.  This seemed to fake out the Chickadees.  From time to time
the Boreal would lift its head from behind the snow to look out again
- giving me good ID looks.  When the coast was almost clear, the
Boreal left that perch and found another only a few feet away where it
puffed up the feathers and settled in for a nap at which time I
departed.  It was good owl survival drama.

Good birding all, and Minnesota - thanks for the wonderful hospitality
and birds!  My expense report will follow to the appropriate folks.

Denise Ryan
Washington, DC


On Tue, 18 Jan 2005 13:48:06 -0600, Laura Erickson
<bluejay@lauraerickson.com> wrote:
> A couple of weeks ago I watched one Great Gray Owl attack another in the
> bog, along Highway 7.  The attacking bird flew directly at the other, which
> flew up and the two seemed to be grabbing air rather than each other, and
> then the attacking bird took over the perch where the first had been, at
> the top of a large shrub, and the attacked bird dropped to a lower branch,
> and crouched and pulled its head back to look up and eye the other.  It had
> its beak open part of the time, but I was much too far away to hear any
> bill snapping or other vocalizations.  They were far enough from the road
> that I felt comfortable watching them, but after 10 minutes they still
> hadn't moved from that position and it was getting a bit darker so I moved
> on before I saw what happened next.
> 
> Laura Erickson
> Duluth, MN
> 
> Producer, "For the Birds" radio program
> <http://www.lauraerickson.com/>
> 
> There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of
> birds.  There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of
> nature--the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter.
> 
>                                 --Rachel Carson
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> mou-net mailing list
> mou-net@cbs.umn.edu
> http://cbs.umn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mou-net
>