Right i have seen boreal and saw whets do this on amherst island. dead mice jammed into tree crotches in the cedar groves.... I then read about the thawing process.



Dave Merker

Etna, New Hampshire
Cape May Raptor Banding Project Inc.
www.capemayraptors.org



> Date: Mon, 13 Jan 2014 23:03:33 -0500
> From: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Snowy Owl Knapp Airport/Shrike nearby/Northern Hawk Owl update
> To: [log in to unmask]
> 
> Actually, just this morning on Mary Holland's Naturally Curious blog... 
> 
> http://naturallycuriouswithmaryholland.wordpress.com/2014/01/13/great-horned-owls-thaw-cached-prey/
> 
>   --
> Ron Payne
> Middlebury, VT
> 
> On Mon, 13 Jan 2014 22:54:42 -0500, Jane Stein <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> I've been lucky to be able to watch 3 different Hawk Owls over the
> > years, and they seem to be incredibly good at spotting and catching 
> > rodents with one quick dive.  I saw very few misses. 
> >
> > The fascinating thing to me is that at least one of the three kept a 
> > couple of food caches nearby.  So it hunted pretty much without 
> > stopping, and if it caught more than it needed, it stuck the dead 
> > prey item in one of the caches for future meals.  I never saw and 
> > nobody I talked to ever saw it actually take and eat prey from one of 
> > those caches since there were abundant mice/voles and it had no 
> > problems feeding itself. 
> >
> > I've never heard of other owl species doing this, has anyone else?  I 
> > can't help but think of how useful a habit that would be if there was 
> > a melt/freeze cycle that put a heavy crust of ice over the snow and 
> > made it so much harder to catch rodents scurrying through the snow 
> > under the ice layer. 
> >
> > Jane
> >
> > (Shoreham)
> >
> >
> > On 1/13/2014 10:04 PM, Liz Lackey wrote:
> > > 1 snowy owl present today at Knapp Airport in Berlin, VT.  A USDA
> > > wildlife service truck was in the proximity, setting up a bow net
> > > spring trap to capture it.  By the time we left, the trap had been
> > > dismantled, and taken away.  Then a second truck (not USDA) seemed to
> > > stay with the owl as it rested near the edge of the runway.  All this
> > > was occurring across the runway from either the cemetery or Benoit’s
> > > Electric.  11:30-12:30pm. 
> > >
> > > I later ran into an acquaintance who works adjacent to the USDA
> > > office there.  He reports that this office had only learned yesterday
> > > about a snowy owl being at the airport.  I don’t know if the airport
> > > asked them to remove the bird, or not.  But I did find out that they
> > > aborted the trapping operation midday as they were uncomfortable
> > > having an audience (of birders). 
> > >
> > > We did not see a second, darker snowy owl. 
> > >
> > > We found a Northern Shrike in the SE corner of Comstock Rd/Scott Hill
> > > Rd intersection, not far from the airport.  It then flew across Scott
> > > Hill Rd., in a westerly direction. 
> > >
> > > The Northern Hawk Owl was actively hunting in its usual location in
> > > Waterbury Center this morning at 10:30am.  It made a couple of low
> > > swoops across busy Rt 100, avoiding being hit by any cars.  Makes you
> > > wonder if it is skill or luck that has allowed it to survive in this
> > > territory for at least a month.  I hope it is skill. 
> > >
> > > Enjoy birds
> > >
> > > Liz Lackey
> > >
> > >
> > > ----- No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
> > > Version: 2014.0.4259 / Virus Database: 3658/6999 - Release Date:
> > > 01/13/14
> > >
> >
> >