Interesting thread. Yes, cottontail rabbits (*Sylvilagus) *in Vermont are
common inhabitants of the Champlain Valley and Chittenden County suburbs
especially. Anyone who lives in So. Burlington is probably familiar with
the cottontail or at least their tracks and droppings. The primary
representative in Vermont is the eastern cottontail. Historically, New
England cottontails were regular residents, but today they might be
encountered only in southern Vermont if at all.
The rabbit that might be more likely to fall prey to a barred owl is the
snowshoe rabbit or varying hare (*Lepus). *The habitat of these rabbits
overlaps the forest habitat of the barred owl. They prefer the understory
of young fir and spruce and the edges of alder swamps. Both the barred owl
and the snowshoe are common around my house. It's not unusual to have a
barred owl sitting in a tree near the bird feeders after sunrise. Perhaps
they wait patiently for mice or voles or even red squirrels to venture out
for spilled seed, especially at night, and the snowshoe rabbits can be
found in every patch of suitable habitat.
A couple of winters ago, I had a trail cam set out on a well-used rabbit
run to catch a photo of a hare in winter. When I looked at the photos, all
snapped at night, I had one of a rabbit passing by the camera on the trail,
and I noticed in the background at about the limit of the flash, a barred
owl perched on a low branch next to the trail. Was it actively hunting the
hares? Who knows? But it's fun to speculate. If I can find the photo, I
will post it, but it was probably erased in favor of space for new photos.
Lots of redpolls here daily. One brown creeper a couple of days ago. No
goldfinches or juncos, which is strange because they were present and
plentiful every day last winter. The cardinal pair seems to have taken a
liking to the place. A welcome addition.
Good wishes to Helena and four barred owls.
Charlie La Rosa
So. Washington
On Mon, Jan 25, 2021 at 6:14 PM H Nicolay <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Hi. Someone stated Barred owls are dense forest dwellers. Yes. But.... They
> are the most common owl hit by cars. They are least bothered by human
> activity and tend to sit on a tree by a roadside hoping for easy pickings.
> They eat squirrels and frogs and snakes and even fish in addition to voles
> and mice. If prey is too large they tear it up into smaller pieces. Helena
> in Monkton who is caring for 4 Barred owls, all hit by cars. The four owls
> eat 18 mice per day or 540 each month.
>
> On Mon, Jan 25, 2021, 5:31 PM anneboby <
> [log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> > Maeve - at times raptors have to be opportunists re food availability.
> > I've seen a Rough-leg competing with Co. Ravens for a road killed fox
> > carcass at the Ft. Edward grasslands in Washington Co, NY adjacent the VT
> > border. Not exactly their usual lemming Arctic fare. I'll pass on the
> > rabbit head thing as probable pure myth: normally rabbits are field
> > dwellers, Barred Owls dense forest dwellers.
> > Bob Yunick
> > Schenectady, NY
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Maeve Kim <[log in to unmask]>
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> > Sent: Mon, Jan 25, 2021 5:02 pm
> > Subject: [VTBIRD] Barred Owls eating rabbits
> >
> > I’d always thought Barred Owls take prey they can swallow whole, so when
> > we saw one in our driveway last winter, huddled over a rabbit, we thought
> > it was just desperate because a hard coating over the snow was preventing
> > it from getting to its usual prey. However, a friend e-mailed photos
> taken
> > a few days ago of a Barred Owl eating a rabbit in their yard. He said
> he’d
> > heard that the males of this species often use rabbits’ heads as
> courtship
> > gifts. Has anyone else heard this?
> > Maeve Kim, Jericho Center
> >
>
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