[mou] FW: [PABIRDS] Question: Saw-whet winter habitat vs breeding habitat

[Alt, Mark]

Good info on Saw-whets from my home state.

-----Original Message-----
From: Bird discussion list for Pennsylvania
[mailto:PABIRDS@LIST.AUDUBON.ORG] On Behalf Of Scott Weidensaul
Sent: Thursday, December 07, 2006 1:51 PM
To: PABIRDS@LIST.AUDUBON.ORG
Subject: Re: [PABIRDS] Question: Saw-whet winter habitat vs breeding
habitat

   Based on six or seven years of fall/winter radio telemetry, we've=20
found that saw-whets like thick cover. Before leaf-fall, they=20
generally prefer to roost high in the outer branches of hardwood=20
trees, tucked into clusters of leaves. Once the leaves drop, they=20
shift to various kinds of evergreen cover -- conifers, laurel or=20
rhododendron thickets, dense blowdown, etc.

   On South Mountain, where we've done most of our telemetry the past=20
few years (including two owls that Aura Stauffer, one of my volunteer=20
banders, continues to track) the preferred trees at this time of year=20
seem to be pitch pine and white pine -- and even when you have a=20
signal, it can be very tough to pick a small, round owl out among=20
hundreds of similarly sized pitch-pine cones. Elsewhere, I've found=20
them in hemlocks. No doubt they'd use eastern redcedar or Christmas=20
tree plantings -- they're opportunistic. In terms of height, that can=20
range from a few feet off the ground to the tops of the trees.

   I'll repeat a suggestion I've made in the past, for those trying to=20
lure saw-whets for CBCs using tapes. Because saw-whets are the=20
smallest eastern owl, everything else (including screech-owls) may=20
catch and kill them, so always start with a saw-whet call first,=20
before playing any other species. Don't expect the owl to reply to a=20
toot call with another toot -- that's a rare vocalization at this=20
time of year, and mew or whine calls are much more common. Most CD=20
sets don't include these calls, but Cornell's new "Voices of North=20
American Owls" does.

   Finally, to be successful, you have to be patient. Unlike most=20
other owls, which respond quickly and vocally to tapes, saw-whets are=20
shy and secretive, and it often takes them fifteen, twenty, even=20
forty minutes to come in to a tape, and even then, they may not call=20
much. Not very encouraging, I know, and fortunately some will call=20
right off the bat. But that's why I believe saw-whets are grossly=20
under-reported on CBCs.

   Incidentally, this was a spectacularly bad year for saw-whet=20
migration in this part of the East; our three-site banding project=20
caught only 201 in more than two months of operation, far below our=20
average. It appears the saw-whet population is actually fairly high=20
(some Canadian stations had all-time high numbers), but was=20
short-stopped in eastern Canada by record high rodent populations, a=20
product of a record-breaking mast crop. There's a chance, though,=20
that the heavy snow now hitting parts of southern Canada may cut off=20
that food supply by sheltering the rodents, forcing the owls farther=20
south -- perhaps in time for Christmas counts.

   Scott Weidensaul
   Schuylkill Haven, PA





>Hi All,
>
>With Christmas Bird Counts upcoming, I wanted to ask about the habitat
>used by Saw-whets at this time of year.  In the spring/summer, I know
that
>they will use thick understory within coniferous or mixed overstory.
>
>Will they also use this spring/summer habitat during late fall &
winter?
>
>I know that they will use clumps of cedar trees at certain spots in=20
>winter, and
>Christmas tree farms.
>
>Would appreciate any info.  Please post to the list if you can.
>
>Thanks greatly.
>
>Dave Kruel
>Pottsville