Cooper's Hawk Spoils Chicago Stake Out Bird
Well, a major newspaper is covering birder squabbles. The Chicago Tribune is reporting on an out of range burrowing owl that was nailed by a Cooper's hawk:
When Chicago birders flocked toMontrose Beach this week for a glimpse of two strange birds not often seen in these parts, they got something far more: a bloody death scene and a queasy feeling they might be partly to blame.
The species—a burrowing owl and a Brant goose—were spotted about 9 a.m. Wednesday within 100 feet of each other in the wooded natural area. Within hours, however, the burrowing owl had been torn apart by a hungry Cooper's hawk in front of chagrined bird-watchers.
But where the article gets interesting is that it covers the usual "birders harassed this bird into being killed by the hawk":
By Thursday morning, local Web forums on birding were awash with discussions as to whether over-eager birders helped facilitate the doomed owl's death by showing up in numbers and repeatedly flushing it into the air so it could be seen.
"The sad truth is that we birders may very well have been responsible for the demise of the burrowing owl," wrote Robert Hughes, the man who first spotted it and sent out an alert to other bird watchers.
"Since I was the one who found the bird I suppose I could have kept my mouth shut and not have told anyone, but this would not have endeared me to other birders," wrote Hughes, who declined to speak to a Tribune reporter. "I'm not sure how this situation could have been handled differently, but maybe we can come up with some kind of protocol to deal with situations like this."
Spotting a burrowing owl or a Brant goose would be a real feather in the cap of an Illinois birder. The owl normally nests in prairie dog holes a thousand miles west of Chicago. The Brant goose mostly lives in tundra regions of the far north, wintering in saltwater marshes along the Atlantic seaboard.
Someone does point out that the burrowing owl was having some issues and it may have been doomed to be prey before it was reported by any birders:
Nobody knows how the burrowing owl, a small creature about twice the weight of a robin, managed to get to Chicago, said Field Museum ornithologist Doug Willard, but the guess is that it was blown here by winds that slammed the city days ago.
Photos taken by birders before the owl was killed showed it was missing many of its primary wing feathers.
"I am not at all certain that a Cooper's hawk would need the help of people to spot this burrowing owl," said Willard. "It was so far out of its normal habitat, it was probably exhausted, and it would be a natural thing for a Cooper's hawk to go after it."
When Chicago birders flocked toMontrose Beach this week for a glimpse of two strange birds not often seen in these parts, they got something far more: a bloody death scene and a queasy feeling they might be partly to blame.
The species—a burrowing owl and a Brant goose—were spotted about 9 a.m. Wednesday within 100 feet of each other in the wooded natural area. Within hours, however, the burrowing owl had been torn apart by a hungry Cooper's hawk in front of chagrined bird-watchers.
But where the article gets interesting is that it covers the usual "birders harassed this bird into being killed by the hawk":
By Thursday morning, local Web forums on birding were awash with discussions as to whether over-eager birders helped facilitate the doomed owl's death by showing up in numbers and repeatedly flushing it into the air so it could be seen.
"The sad truth is that we birders may very well have been responsible for the demise of the burrowing owl," wrote Robert Hughes, the man who first spotted it and sent out an alert to other bird watchers.
"Since I was the one who found the bird I suppose I could have kept my mouth shut and not have told anyone, but this would not have endeared me to other birders," wrote Hughes, who declined to speak to a Tribune reporter. "I'm not sure how this situation could have been handled differently, but maybe we can come up with some kind of protocol to deal with situations like this."
Spotting a burrowing owl or a Brant goose would be a real feather in the cap of an Illinois birder. The owl normally nests in prairie dog holes a thousand miles west of Chicago. The Brant goose mostly lives in tundra regions of the far north, wintering in saltwater marshes along the Atlantic seaboard.
Someone does point out that the burrowing owl was having some issues and it may have been doomed to be prey before it was reported by any birders:
Nobody knows how the burrowing owl, a small creature about twice the weight of a robin, managed to get to Chicago, said Field Museum ornithologist Doug Willard, but the guess is that it was blown here by winds that slammed the city days ago.
Photos taken by birders before the owl was killed showed it was missing many of its primary wing feathers.
"I am not at all certain that a Cooper's hawk would need the help of people to spot this burrowing owl," said Willard. "It was so far out of its normal habitat, it was probably exhausted, and it would be a natural thing for a Cooper's hawk to go after it."
posted by birdchick at 7:25 AM
13 Comments:
It's an interesting debate, ailing bird vs. flushed bird attracting the coop. My attention, however, is fixed on those birders who watched the kill--eek! It must've been both horrifying and fascinating.
“but maybe we can come up with some kind of protocol to deal with situations like this.” ???
I thought we HAD protocol in place…do NOT harass wildlife! Keep back from nesting birds, do not get so close as to give away hiding or nesting places, do not chase birds, use long lenses or scopes to get close-up photos…stay on trails, do not trespass; there are pages and pages of such guidelines.
While I agree hawks are more likely to get a bird that is exhausted or injured…flushing birds is unconscionable. Some people are just stupid…
I guess it is time for a palate cleansing tirade on the evil oil drillers.
Sigh...I have such a hard time with bird-on-bird struggles.
What Beverly said! I thought the whole idea behind observing birds was to be as invisible as possible, which is why there are often blinds set up.
I've never, EVER been around a birder who flushed birds, and if I had, I'd have given them a piece of my mind. I've even been on trips with inner-city kids who didn't know anything about birds or birding, and the trip leader always laid out the rules clearly, and those kids followed them to the letter!
Poor little owl. Maybe it was exhausted, but thanks to those idiot birders, it never had a chance!
klia
It may be worth mentioning that I heard (I think from someone who studies the winter owls there) that the Burrowing Owl that was at Logan International Airport in Boston some years back arrived by hitching a ride on a plane. I want to say in the wheel well, but don't trust my memory that far.
A little like the Coop that nailed a Red Knot right in front of Kevin Karlson's shorebird trip at Cape May, eh, Sharon?
We had an out-of-range Burrowing Owl in Ohio that was "birded" too hard till it vanished. Some people even wandered out into the crop fields to try to find it. I'd like to think it flew away, but I wonder if a predator got it. In our enthusiasm to see the rarities, we must be sure to respect them, too.
~Kathi
Birders don't have a clue..all they care about is their lists.
To comment on KatDoc's comment: I heard recently that the burrowing owl found in Ohio then turned up at a raptor rehab about a week after no one could find it again.
There was also a burrowing owl here a few years back that was traced to a truck that had just come from Arizona or someplace. I wouldn't be surprised if the owl in the article came north the same way.
Since we all weren't there, we can't assume it was human-induced hawk-on-owl action. But guidelines still need to be followed.
I feel bad for the guy who reported it!
April,
be careful of sweeping generalizations, those can lead to flame wars. I am a birder, I have a clue and I care about many things besides just my list. There are some real jerk birders out there, but you have that in any hobby or sport.
SGN makes a good point, we weren't there to know for sure what happened and whether or not the owl would have been eaten had birders been there to watch it or not.
I, for one, am not surprised to hear of a burrowing owl in Chicago. We're in Buffalo, and 20+ years ago, on a perfect May aturday, our older daughter (then age 5) ran from our backyard to me saying "Daddy, you want to see the owl?" I chuckled and was about to tell her "you won't be seeing owls in the daytime, sweetie" when our next-door neighbor, camera in hand, comes up behind her and says "You will not believe this". Sure enough, in the back of our home, high-stepping it all the way, a pair of burrowers was slowly backing toward the shelter of some thick shrubs that bordered our property! To this day, local birders doubt the story - but honest to God, folks, it happened!
I, for one, am not surprised to hear of a burrowing owl in Chicago. We're in Buffalo, and 20+ years ago, on a perfect May Saturday, our older daughter (then age 5) ran from our backyard to me saying "Daddy, you want to see the owl?" I chuckled and was about to tell her "you won't be seeing owls in the daytime, sweetie" when our next-door neighbor, camera in hand, comes up behind her and says "You will not believe this". Sure enough, in the back of our home, high-stepping it all the way, a pair of burrowers was slowly backing toward the shelter of some thick shrubs that bordered our property! To this day, local birders doubt the story - but honest to God, folks, it happened!
So we're all concerned about ONE wayward owl that got eaten by a native predator.
Folks, MILLIONS of birds are eaten by non-native predators (CATS) every day. Where is the outrage, where is the action! You wanna stop unnecessary bird mortality focus your efforts on feral and free-ranging cat control and not on 'evil birders'.
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