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| FEATURED LONG ISLAND BIRDS: by Karen Thanks to Cal Vornberger for the photos! (click here for Cal's photo website) Other Photos by Larry & Nancy |
| THE SCREECH OWL ! |
| You may have a neighbor that you don’t even know about. If you live near a marsh, or if you have tall trees in your backyard, or if you live near a park with large trees, you may have an Eastern Screech Owl for a neighbor. They are more common to Long Island than most people realize, and spend most of their days roosting in tree cavities (sometimes at the entrance) or in dense cover and then becoming active at dusk. When approached on it’s roost, the owl will flatten itself against the trunk, erect its ear tufts and close it’s eyes….all in an attempt to blend into the background. The Screech Owl is not your normal “hoot” owl, as its call is a mellow trill, descending in tone, and resembles the whinny of a horse. This call is mostly given by the male, with the female more likely to give a variety of hoots and barks, especially when defending the young. |
| Eastern Screech Owls have two “morphs”, or colors variations: (1) gray/gray brown overall with barred wings & tail, or (2) red/cinnamon with gray/green bills, light cinnamon buff legs & yellow toes. Interestingly, the gray morph birds tend to roost next to the tree trunk where they become almost invisible; whereas the red morphed birds tend to roost in the outer foliage. Some studies have shown that more gray-phase are found in the north, with more red in the south. The theory is that the red-phase bird is not as well adapted to the extreme cold. Each morph will remain that color all it’s life, and red-morph will often mate with gray-morph producing a mixed brood. Screech Owls are nocturnal hunters and they hunt from dusk to dawn generally searching for prey while in flight. Their prey is varied - they will take anything from insects to Norway rats, chipmunks, frogs, snakes, earthworms as well as other screech owls (about 7% of their diet are other screech owls). They may even occasionally prey on fish. These owls hunt also from a perch, swooping down on prey sighted, and can hunt by sound as well as by sight. |
| Screech Owls usually mate for life. After an elaborate courtship (with the male calling to the female & then bobbing & swiveling his head & winking) the pair will preen each other’s feathers and call in duet. They will nest in a tree cavity, and have also been known to use old Pileated Woodpecker & Northern Flicker cavities. They will then continue to use those nest sites year after year. There is no actual nest built, with the eggs being laid directly on the bottom of the cavity. When natural nesting cavities are not available, Screech Owls have been known to use nesting boxes. Eggs are laid every two days with an average of 3-5 eggs. Incubation is about 26 days & fledging is in 31 days. Females do most of the incubating with some help from the male. The male brings food to the nest during this period. After the eggs have hatched, both parents will bring food to the young. The young birds will leave the nest in about 4 weeks, but will continue to be fed by the parents for some time after that. The young owlets, at this time, cannot fly effectively but can climb around quite well and will even climb back into the nest if they fall from the tree. Adult birds frequently remain in the nest area year round with the juvenile birds dispersing to other areas in the fall. Mortality rates can be as high as 70% for juvenile birds & 30% for adult birds. Average life span is 2-3 years. One interesting fact is that in some areas (mostly in the western states) these owls will bring live blind snakes to the nest where the snake will live. This is believed to be a way of controlling nest parasites, and studies have shown that the owlets in those nests grow faster and have lower mortality rates. |
| WHAT A BIRD! (OTUS ASIO) |
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| So, if you’re outside near a wooded area in the early evening, & you hear an eerie descending whinny call, you may have an Eastern Screech Owl nearby! Try and get a look at this wonderful diminutive owl that is our not so hidden neighbor. For more Screech Owl information, click here |
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| Cal Vornberger |
| Cal Vornberger |
| Gray Morph Photo by Larry of Manorville |
| Red Morph Photo by Nancy of Northport |