Barred Owls Emerge at the Lloyd Center for Winter Prowls
Barred Owl in light
During winter, owls are establishing territories in anticipation of nesting, which occurs earlier in the year than other bird species, and become vocal and visible. “Owl prowls” have long been a tradition at the Lloyd Center for the Environment, which has prime habitat for the common species of the region. Forest interior ranges from hilly oak-hickory woodland interspersed with evergreens, to flat red maple swamp, offering a variety of nesting and roosting locations. Kettle ponds, vernal pools, and estuaries, provide a diverse network of wetland microhabitats supporting a diversity of other wildlife that may serve as prey for carnivorous owls. The open areas of the grounds provide edge habitat and nice spots from which to view owls in flight.
The Lloyd Center led winter prowls on February 19 and March 4, on what turned out to be stellar conditions for owl activity on both nights. For the February prowl, a “waxing crescent” moon, comfortable temperatures, and a dead calm, were optimal for both seeing birds and hearing calls. After a brief warm up inside the Welcome Center where patrons received some quick owl education, the group was led out to locate owls. The Barred Owl is the most reliably responsive owl to calls in early evening and has nested on or near the property for years now, making this the focus species for this particular outing.
After some time, a silhouette appeared in the trees as we stood in the driveway – a Barred that had flown in response to recorded calls. Once spotted with the flashlight, onlookers got a stellar glimpse at the owl staring down, with its vertical “barring” and the dark eyes which are unique to the Barred Owl. As the owl looked around, onlookers saw how the highly mobile head and neck compensates for large, fixed eye sockets and retina, which are acute and adapted to sight in dim light, but are fixed in place. This head mobility (270 degrees) also enhances hearing for ears that are holes on each side of the head placed at different levels. The facial disks, also visible to viewers, also help with the strong hearing capability, and were readily visible even from a distance.
photo courtesy of Seth Thomas
Barred Owls are renown for the “who cooks for you” call for which these owls put out quite a chorus. While we know a pair exists and heard two owls calling in response to our callback, at least a third owl was present, all birds converging along the driveway where we stood offering further sightings of still birds and those in brief flight. Patrons witnessed the silent flight adapted for night flying made possible with light, fibrous feathers. With multiple owls calling, the variable array of sounds were heard in addition to the classic, familiar song, a true raucous chorus for the ages.
On March 3, the night was again a dead calm and chilly due to remnant snow cover from the blizzard, but relatively comfortable for a winter night. A clear sky offered astronomical features, and with this being the “full moon prowl”, good conditions to see the moon rise. Again a Barred Owl was heard in the distance, with two owls dueting shortly thereafter. When we finally saw a bird in the treetops again, the owl looking down and nervously turning its head before taking flight, the other two were still calling, for a confirmed third bird again for this walk. Finally, we saw the moon rising through the trees over the Slocum and walked down the Cart Path for a closer look. The owls went quiet but the rising moon offered time for reflection on another successful outing. Come search for the Barred Owls again on our March 20 Spring Equinox Owl Prowl!