Early American Woodcock & other birds on 2/18/11

American Woodcock photo from

http://www.jczinn.com/

On Friday, 2/18/11, Jim Kandefer, Mike Amodeo, and I censused several parts of White Memorial for the Great Backyard Bird Count. We came up with fairly good numbers of most of the expected species around the Museum Area, Pike Marsh, Bantam Lake Outlet, and N. Shore Rd. This included 4 Wood Ducks at the Outlet, 2 Red-breasted Nuthatches at the Museum feeders, and a total of about 25 Eastern Bluebirds. We ended the day with a successful hour and a half of counting along Webster Rd., including Catlin Woods and Miry Brook Marsh. Arethusa Farm yielded a large mixed flock of blackbirds that included about 50 Red-wings and 20 Common Grackles with 500+ European Starlings. Unfortunately, we couldn't find the American Kestrel that we saw there on Wednesday. Heading back into Catlin Woods we heard a Great Horned Owl hooting from the area of the intersection of White's Woods and Webster Roads. Then we were astounded to hear an American Woodcock giving its "peent" call from Miry Brook Marsh. After a few "peents" it picked up and flew around the marsh before settling back down and resuming "peenting". Then it lifted off, flew around the marsh, up Webster Rd. over our heads, and northbound over Catlin Woods. We didn't hear it again after that. I think that this is only the third time that I've encountered a woodcock as early as February in the Litchfield/Morris area. Right after the excitement of finding this bird had subsided I started whistling for Northern Saw-whet Owls. We have found these birds quite regularly in Catlin Woods in mid and late February. After about 2 minutes of intermittent whistling we heard a Saw-whet answer from the north side of the road in the thick hemlocks. We saw it fly among the sapling-sized trees and then disappear. Not wanting to subject it to any more disturbance or being preyed upon by the Great Horned Owl, we stopped whistling and left it alone. When I get all of the results from our GBBC counters compiled, I'll post them in a future bog.

Winter-time Owls at White Memorial

Photo By Darlene Knox

Owls are never easy to find, and are much more often heard than seen. However, during the winter, when they are stressed by hunger and by snow cover hiding their small mammal prey, they are more likely to be seen hunting during the daytime. The Barred Owl in the photo above was seen along the Windmill Hill Trail in a semi-open woodland situation where it had a good view of the trail and surrounding area. Any small mammal venturing out into the open here would surely be caught and eaten by this owl. Barred Owls aren't too vocal at this time of year. They become more territorial later in February. They are especially prone to hooting in March and April. There are several pairs of these birds found on White Memorial property, but the ones at Windmill Hill seem to be the least shy around people. Great Horned Owls are very vocal now as they firm-up their territorial boundaries. They will probably choose an old crow or hawk nest or hollow of a dead tree as a nest site next month, and mate and lay eggs some time in March. Anyone wishing to hear them hooting, and maybe even see one, should park in front of the Museum around 5 p.m. when it is clear and calm. A pair of GHO's has called the White Pine woods north of the Museum their territory for many years. Another pair can regularly be found along the western side of Catlin Woods. We know of 3 territorial Eastern Screech-Owls and a couple of Northern Saw-whet Owls on the Property, but we don't disclose their exact whereabouts because they are much more easily disturbed by people. The Screech-Owls are year-round residents, but the Saw-whets are only here for the winter. They most likely came from Canada or northern New England. It has been at least 15 years since a Long-eared Owl has been detected on the Property. They have become very rare. If you do come out to White Memorial to listen and look for owls, please do not use tape playback to elicit responses from them. It can disturb them to the point where they will abandon their territory; or even attack the person holding the tape player. We probably will offer an "owl prowl" for the public sometime this spring, so keep watch for an announcement in our next newsletter.