Owl Nest photos

[josh_miller6]

I am wanting to get owl nest photos this spring. I am looking to find a spotted, Great H,

or Screech nest and set up a blind. Feel good about actually setting up the blind, but I

need some advice in finding the nests. I have been hiking in likely habitat around dusk,

but not hearing much in the way of owls. Am I too early in the season to really be hearing

them?

 

Give me some advice in finding nests.

Josh

[mark_chappell]

Owls are famously early nesters and in many areas of the country, they've probably started

already.<P>

It's a bit of a delicate area you're stepping into, ethically and legally. Like all native

species, owls are Federally protected and for that reason -- and because you probably

don't want to do anything to disrupt a nest attempt -- you need to be very careful about

how you set up your blind. Unless you know bird behavior well, you could cause

considerable disturbance or even nest failure through unintentional actions. In particular,

you should stay far away from spotted owl nests, as they are classified as threatened or

endangered. That gives them a level of protection above that of 'regular' native birds, with

potentially heavy penalties for disturbance.... and also additional ethical burdens.

[kerry_grim]

Study your subject and become an expert on it prior to any attempts at photography, particularly around a nest. You need to know state and federal regulations. Does placing a blind draw attention to unlookers that could destroy the nest and your blind? Not having the knowledge of being able to find a nest indicates you do not know the subject well enought to even think of photography. The welfare of the bird MUST come first. A good first step may be to pal around with a biologist who is actually studing nests and banding birds. You may be able to assist him or her and observe the young closeup.

 

Sorry to be blunt, but I do not know any other way to put it!

[forrest_andrew]

as the others have said, the well being of the owl has gotta come first. hooking up with a biologist is among the best ways to be sure of doing things right, and possibly your best chance of actually finding a nest. as for target species, i'd definitely avoid spotted because of its status. further, both it and the screech owls are cavity nesters - making them harder subjects to shoot. your best bet would be by far with great horneds - abundant, nest it open stick nests and relatively tolerant of human activity. that said, great care is still needed. as for timing, i guess it depends on where you are. great horneds could be nesting already, especially in southern latitudes, but up here (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) they typically nest in early spring. peak owl calling (again, around here) is not until March/April. hearing an owl is one thing, but finding the actual nest is another thing all together. again, great horneds provide an advantage here to. they don't build their own nests, instead reusing those of other species. because they typically nest before the leaves are out (at least up here) it is possible to scout existing nest locations in good habitat prior to the breeding season, then checking and listening once nesting season arrives. further, a pair of owls may reuse the same site in consecutive years. maybe check with the local bird watching club for sites from previous years. hope this helps.

[Two23]

You guys don't even know where the poster lives. The odds he lives in the NW is not very high. I wouldn't sweat the spotted owl stuff. Attached is a photo of a hoot owl I took a couple of years ago. It was not yet fully fledged. I asked around at a local grain elevator if any farmers knew where an owl nest was, and one of them did.

 

 

Kent in SD<div></div>

[bill_thorlin]

Where the gentleman lives has no bearing on the advice given, which I consider to be universally applicable - assuming of course that one is concerned with the welfare of the birds.

[mark_chappell]

<I>. I wouldn't sweat the spotted owl stuff. </i><P>

 

You 'don't sweat' breaking the law and paying a heft fine and possibly going to prison? Not

very helpful advice, IMO.

[josh_miller6]

I should clarify that I actually have a fair amount of experience working with many of these

species in the Past (As I worked at a raptor rehab center for about 3 years and have

worked specificly with most of these species in hackking them out!). I am fully aware of

both the leagle and ethical implications as well. The main information I was looking for

was in general what ways have proven most effective for locating/homing in on after

initaial contact ( I was hoping to gain any more info that I could past my current sources)

 

It has become obvious that this was not the approprate forum to lean more, because it is

too public and way to heated. I will continue working with my rehab assocates as well as

raptor experts that I already have contact with.

 

Thanks!

[andrew robertson]

Nesting owls are not afraid to kick your ass if they feel threatened. They will take your scalp

clean off.

[bill_thorlin]

Josh - it would seem that you feel aggrieved and that is a pity. Maybe I can explain a little - birders ( for want of a better term ) are very hesitant about giving out locations as there are still nest wreckers, chick stealers and egg "collectors" around especially for the rare and endangered species and they look and sound just like you and I.

 

Perhaps two examples will help clarify things a little :-

 

1. There was a recent thread about identifying raptors and someone here in the UK mentioned peregrine nest sites in his area. I asked about these and received an e-mail saying that he hoped I did not mind but he had checked me out before letting me know. My response was that he was ABSOLUTELY RIGHT to have checked and to reply confidentially.

 

2. There was a recent television programme ( again here in the UK ) about great horned owls breeding in Yorkshire and although it was very careful to avoid naming the location if you lived in the area it was apparently fairly easy to work it out. Suffice it to say that last week it was reported that the female of the pair had been found dead, riddled with shotgun pellets. No proof that the two events are linked but I have no doubt that they are.

 

There is a posting on this thread which epitomises the reasons for people being so very reticent in this area.

 

Perhaps if you had made your postings in reverse order you might have received a more forthcoming response. I hope this helps clarify the picture a little.

[mark_chappell]

<I>great horned owls breeding in Yorkshire </I><P>

 

Bill: great horned owls -- a North American species -- breeding in the UK? Wow.... how

did that come to be? They aren't migratory so it's hard to see how you would get one, let

alone two, individuals accross the Atlantic by their own volition. Maybe they were eagle

owls?<P>

 

<I>Nesting owls are not afraid to kick your ass if they feel threatened. They will take your

scalp clean off.</i><P>

 

Hyperbole. A few individuals of a few species (like great horned or screech owls in North

America and tawny owls in Europe) can be quite aggressive. In fact, one well-known

British wildlife photographer lost an eye to a tawny owl. I've handled a few great horned

owls. They aren't to be trifled with but the vast majority aren't going to 'attack' unless you

corner one in a telephone booth. A pair or two nest on campus here, very close to

walkways used by thousands of people. Nobody's ever been even dived at. "Taking your

scalp clean off" is a wild exaggeration. We're talking about a 1.5 kg bird here, not a

rottweiler or hyena.

[bill_thorlin]

Mark - sorry if I raised interest incorrectly but as you suspected they are Eagle Owls ( memory failure ). In this case it is the subject of much debate as to whether or not they are a native British species - there are historical records but these are subject to question. Many believe that these are escapees that have settled but on the other hand it would not be impossible for them to have come in from mainland Europe as the distances involved are not great - they are already in Holland.

 

As they are a European species they are protected in the UK unless it can be proved that they are escapees although it did not help in this particular case.

 

Personally I think they would add to our diversity but I do not think the debate is resolved as yet.

[matt_sallis]

Josh,

 

You may have received a better response had you made your background clear in your initial post. Also a clear link within the post to your website would help people to see that you are actually a very capable photographer, with an obvious love for your subjects.

 

As Bill says, there are still problems with ill-educated idiots wishing to harm endangered species. It is not uncommon to find raptors shot, poisoned pigeons left near nest sites, or nests themselves destroyed along with eggs or chicks.

 

I'm the person Bill mentioned in connection with the Peregrine locations in the UK, and I would never offer advice on how or where to find nests on an open forum like this. I have heard pigeon racers show great interest in the location of Peregrine nests, not I suspect for the benefit of the falcons.

 

This is an excellent forum, with some very knowledgeable and friendly people. Please don't be put off asking questions here by an initially wary response. It just means we care, like you, about the welfare of the wildlife.

[andrew robertson]

I have seen some very frightening footage of arctic owls attacking two guys in a blind. First

pass the owl took the nylon off the blind. Second pass she took the metal (!) lens hood off a

big Canon supertele. Third pass she ripped open the guy's head. They then ran. He

required many stitches.

[matt_sallis]

More power to the owls, I say.

 

I have been stooped by a Peregrine Falcon from behind once (although I thought I was camouflaged). She passed inches above my head, and the sound was like one of those flexible plastic tubes children whip around to make a whooshing noise. A change of trousers was nearly needed. I left that pair alone as they obviously didn't like human presence, but others have been absolutely fine, one pair even without a hide as they are used to ramblers passing by.

 

As Mark mentioned, a UK pioneer of Owl photograpy, Eric Hosking, lost his eye to an angry owl. I'm sure physical attacks are a fairly rare occurrence, but you should never underestimate the fury of a protective mother.

 

Bill - hope you're keeping well mate. I felt sad to read that one of those beautiful Eagle owls had been killed by some ingnorant tw@, it's beyond me how someone can do that. It was a very interesting programme, but I remember thinking when I saw it that it may have been unwise to show it without 24 hour surveilance in place.

 

In Cornwall they have re-introduced the Cornish Chough to the coast, and during breeding season RSPB volunteers keep watch 24 hours a day, until the chicks have fledged.

As the "hick from the sticks" post way above shows, there's no limit to peoples stupidity.

[bill_thorlin]

Matt - good to hear from you and hope you are wintering well. Again I am in accord with what you say especially on the publicity on the Eagle Owls - not all publicity is good publicity.

 

Wife and I were in the garden when a Merlin ( took me two days to be sure it was one ) who had taken up residence for a while ( wish he would return ) decided to go for a Robin sitting on the fork handle next to my wife ( waiting for the next free meal ). The Robin shot off behind my wife and the Merlin swerved and only at the last moment did he realise where he was heading, the wings and claws were outstretched and the anchors were full on when he missed my wife's face by a foot. To say she was shocked is an understatement and I was pretty stunned as I was only a couple of feet away. I know it was not an attack but it did bring home to us the weaponry these birds have and we give them even greater respect than before.

 

However you do not have to be big to make your point - never upset a Tern, you can get scratches and a well aimed deposit very easily. Ever been bitten by a parrot ? Not recommended.

[mark_chappell]

<I> Ever been bitten by a parrot ? Not recommended.</i><P>

 

Right there with you. In my work I've handled several dozen big raptors (various hawks

and owls), assorted albatrosses, skuas, hundreds of Adelie penguins, and a lot of other

birds. You have to treat many large birds with respect, but none of those species worried

me much. However, when mist-netting small birds in Australia I lived in utter teror that

we would accidentally catch a cockatoo. Extracting one of them from a net without losing

fingers (or at least, pieces of them) would be a major challenge. Happily, we never caught

any parrots (we did accidentally catch a white goshawk once -- beautiful bird that was

utterly placid; after release it sat in a nearby tree and watched us for a while).

[bill_thorlin]

Sulphur Crested - absolutely fine while I was watching it - turned my head for a moment ( and I mean a moment ) and that was it. I still bear the scar. It improved the cockatoo's Anglo-Saxon vocabulary though.

[Two23]

Matt--

 

I wouldn't call Mark a "hick from the sticks." After all, you don't really know anything about him. No one "above" said anything "ignorant," from what I can determine. Farmers here used to shoot owls, especially if they raised ducks. When I was working towards a Masters of Science degree at a state university here, I was on a volunteer panel with the state wildlife people (the university has a strong wildlife biology program.) We came up with suggestions to convince farmers etc. to NOT shoot the hawks and owls. When I last checked a year ago, I heard the program that was developed was reasonably successful. The main benefit we promoted was that hawks/owls help keep the mice and prairie dog population in check. Now there's a critter the ranchers really hate!

 

I once was taking photos from a duck blind of migrating waterfowl during spring migration at a secluded slough. I had a couple of duck decoys out in the water near me, as "confidence" decoys. I took a few shots here and there but mostly was relaxing in the sun. Suddenly there was a big "whoosh" over me and a HUGE black "object" sailed right over me. As it over I saw a broad white tail on the black body. Bald eagle! Pretty common here, but still a thrill. It snatched one of my decoys and lifted it cleanly out of the water, then dropped it. It lit on a dead tree near me while all the "real" waterfowl went nuts. I wasn't expecting an eagle on that small a body of water, but there it was. (I was too stunned to get the shot!) They follow the migrating waterfowl on north, picking up the stupid ones and any wounded snowgeese (snowgeese are hunted here during spring.) One of my buddies wrote a paper on the migrating eagles for his masters degree.

 

 

Kent in SD

[matt_sallis]

Bill - I bet that Merlin got your wife's adrenalin flooding out! It must be pretty scary to see that view coming at you.

 

I know what you mean about the parrots. My late father had an Amazon Green, which I looked after for a couple of years after he passed away. Luckily he (or she) was quite friendly and liked his neck rubbed, but as you say it's when you look away that they get you, and even though he was just showing a little annoyance it was clear that if he wanted to, he could get through to the bone quite easily.

 

Kent - I'm sure that Mark is quite aware that my remark was most certainly not aimed at him. His encyclopaedic knowledge is a great asset to this forum, and he has my utmost respect.

 

I was just rather annoyed that someone would advise another to completely ignore laws which are in place to protect endangered species, and just storm ahead and photograph nesting owls, without any idea of the competence of the person asking the question.

 

Ignoring laws is, by definition, ignorant.

 

You are right in that I should not have made a personal remark, and should instead have more specifically attacked the advice, rather than the advisor. I will endeavor to bear this in mind in future.

[bill_thorlin]

Matt - yes the memsahib was a shade shaken - the funny thing is that she is now if anything more of a birder than I am. We appear to be feeding most of the small bird population of East Hertfordshire - small as from Jay down to Wren. I just love it and wish my photographic skills could improve as well.

 

Parrots - I have this theory that males take kindly to women whereas females seem to tolerate men better. Whichever, they can really bite - ever seen one demolish a brazil nut in moments ?

 

Kent - I think Matt has been more than fair and hopefully the matter can rest there.

[Two23]

Bill, Matt--

 

Good enough. I just don't see where anyone was advocating ignoring laws. Myself, I was saying to ignore worrying about spotty owls if you don't live in the Northwest--obviously there won't be any.

 

This morning I was out taking some shots in the countryside, and ended up getting something to drink in a tiny town's convenience store. There was a group of older farmers (easy to tell--they wear Carharrts and seed company caps) sitting around a table drinking coffee. Out of curiousity, I asked them if any knew where I could find some owls to photo. Between them they knew where about five owls were hanging out, including a arctic owl (visiting from Canada.) One farmer said he had some barn owls nesting in...his barn, LOL! My point is that these folks live out among the wildlife, and they generally know where every nest and burrow is on their land. Since they are generally helpful (at least are here in the Upper Midwest,) these are the people I go see when I'm looking for specific wildlife, not internet forums. They hear the owls hooting at night, see where the deer bed down with fawns, and so on. They are a great resource if approached respectfully and courteously. Finally, many modern farmers now have 4 year college degrees. They are far better educated than the ones hundred years ago. They have also begun to see the value of restoring some native habitat on their lands. This is all a good thing for owls and photographers alike.

 

 

Kent in SD

[mark_chappell]

<I>I was saying to ignore worrying about spotty owls if you don't live in the Northwest--

obviously there won't be any.</i><P>

 

Well, not quite. As well as the Pacific Northwest, spotted owls are found in California

(including the southern part of the state where I live), and in the central and southern Rocky

Mountains into Arizona, New Mexico, and northern Mexico.

[greg s]

"Give me some advice in finding nests."

 

I spent last Spring photographing nesting owls (Great Horned & Barred) here in Oregon, and plan to do the same this year. For me it came down to finding the owls, half the time by sight and half by calls. After I found them in the same area several times and saw the chicks, the rest became relatively easy. For the Barred I got a local tip of where to look (they are nesting lower in the ravine now). The last thing I needed was a blind... was really amazed at how tolerant they were.

 

The best advice I can give is dedication and persistance. Keep visiting the most likely locales on a regular basis (like almost daily) in the early evening. Once you see something big silently flapping it's way thru the trees you know you're getting close. :) -Greg-

[greg s]

Found the GHO nest for this year... same park, slightly different location, and she's already incubating a clutch despite the wind storms and cold snap.