Not an Owl but for several years now I have had an American Bittern foraging for night crawlers on my lawn after rain storms.  Nancy Brown Danby Four Corners

-----Original Message-----
From: Vermont Birds [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Ian Worley
Sent: Sunday, April 2, 2017 11:19 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Vermivorous Barred Owl

Let's hope your owl is specializing on one of the aggressive invasive earthworms that can so damage forest stands by colonies foraging on, and removing all the forest litter.

Ian

=========================================


On 4/2/2017 9:59 AM, Tyler wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I'm curious if anyone else on this listserv has observed this behavior 
> in Barred Owls before. I have found a small amount of literature on 
> this, but it doesn't seem to be a very common behavior.
>
> My house has been hosting a Barred Owl every night (from dusk til 
> dawn) in an Ash tree in our backyard for over a week now. Sometimes it 
> even shows up before sunset. It is always there, no matter what time 
> of night I look out there, always on the same branch. I had assumed it 
> was feeding on the many rabbits and mice we have running around, but a 
> few nights ago I started noticing 'her' dropping down onto the lawn, 
> where there is no brush or vegetation anywhere nearby. I thought this 
> would be strangely open territory for a mouse to be venturing, and then I saw what she was after.
> She was picking up earthworms. I've been observing her now and it 
> appears that she is specializing in hunting worms. Last night I 
> observed a rabbit feeding DIRECTLY BELOW HER (her perch is only 6 feet 
> off the ground) and she completely ignored the rabbit, flew past it, 
> and returned to her perch with another worm.
>
> Has anyone else observed this vermivorous behavior in owls before?
>
> Tyler Pockette
> Salisbury