Field Notes: March 2008

www.oregonconservatory.org/eleanor

Friday 7 March      For those who are inquiring and wondering what Eleanor’s up to on her road trip, here’s an informative blurb from www.owlpages.com about Barred Owl behavior this time of year:

Barred Owl courtship activities begin in February, with breeding occurring between March and August. Males hoot and females give contact calls. As the nesting season approaches, males chase after females, giving a variety of hooting and screeching calls. Males display by swaying back and forth and raising their wings while sidling along a branch. Courtship feeding and mutual preening also occur.

Barred Owls nest in cavities and will also use abandoned Red-shouldered Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk, Squirrel, or Crow nests. Eggs number 2 to 4 and are white and almost perfectly round, with a slightly rough texture. They are likely laid every 2 to 3 days, and incubation begins with the first egg laid. Incubation period is 28 to 33 days. The male brings food to the female while she is on the nest. The Barred Owl is single-brooded but has a long breeding season, which allows for laying of replacement clutches if the first clutch or brood is lost.

When the young leave the nest, at about 4 weeks, they are not able to fly but crawl out of the nest using their beak and talons to sit on branches. These owlets are called branchers. They fledge at 35 to 40 days. Once they lose their down, there is no difference between adult and juvenile plumage.

Parents care for the young for at least 4 months, much longer than most other owls. Young tend to disperse very short distances, usually less than 10 kilometres (6 miles), before settling. Pairs mate for life, and territories and nest sites are maintained for many years.

Thursday 6 March       Eleanor has been “on the road” since last week. It’s breeding season, and instinct compels her to seek a mate. The good news is an owl pair returns to the female’s home territory to nest, so we do expect her back soon to resume her reign over our historic neighborhood. I’ll keep you posted!