I debated about whether or not to blog this, it’s an owl nest and some people can get their undies in a bunch when someone talks about them publicly. Some birds seem to attain a cult status and people get particularly prickly about them. Owls are definitely a cult status bird, even garnering their own set of fan boys and fan girls (and owls are cool, I can see why).
I have a great horned owl nesting within walking distance from my home. I have mixed feelings about blogging it. On the one hand, I get the wisdom of keeping nests on the down lo. On the other hand, I live in a very urban area and these birds have chosen to nest in a particularly high traffic spot. I think they knew what they were getting into. There are all sorts of people well aware of the nest and happy to walk up to any stranger and say, “Hey, there’s owl right there!”
I’m not going to reveal the exact location, but that still won’t stop some complainers. Last winter, a birding organization received an email asking that something be done about me because I had revealed a northern hawk owl perching location in my blog, it wasn’t even nesting. I thought it was funny that an organization that I’m not associated with got such an email (what are they gonna do, fire me). It’s no secret you can find northern hawk owls at Sax Zim Bog and I had gotten the location from a website promoting where to find the owls. Ah well, haters gotta hate, as the young kids say these days.
Here’s the male keeping watch near the nest, even though it looks like his eyes are closed, those little slits are open and he’s keeping an eye on me with my scope.
So, what should you do if you find an owl nest? I think keeping the exact location hidden from the local birding listservs, Twitter, Facebook and FourSquare is a good idea. But when you find something so cool, there can be a huge temptation to share it. Be cautious with how many people you tell. Locations should be shared to some groups–say for instance a place like The Raptor Center. If orphaned great horned owl chicks end up in their clinic, they try to find surrogate nests for the chicks. You could also submit it to Nestwatch a website trying to document bird nesting throughout the US. If someone is keeping track of breeding birds for an overall study or atlas, that would be a good idea too. These could be safe ways of documenting the nesting process, a fun project for you, but won’t bring hoards of people to the nest site.
I’m sure I’ll be walking by and checking these birds out throughout the spring. I have an idea of when incubation started so hopefully some owl chick photos will come along. I’ll be curious to note the number of people, especially those walking their dogs who will walk past it without realizing it’s there.
I’ll also be curious to see how the nest holds up. Great horned owls do not build a nest, but take over old hawk, crow or squirrel nests. I’m pretty sure that meatball of leaves the female owl is hunkered on is an old squirrel nest. She had lots of squirrel nests to choose from, some more secluded than others. It’s interesting she chose one in a well traveled. Here’s hoping that this turns out to be a big win for urban great horned owl nesting this spring.
Last year I found Long-eared Owl nest just minutes from Boise. I debated with myself and counselled with some trusted birders. I decided to share the location to only those that I took to see the nest. It was a hard place to get too, but several people got to see a life bird and momma and daddy raised three healthy owlets.
We also had Great Horned Owls nest 10 feet from the trail at eye level. Momma never even flinched with all the neighborhood attention. Some folks are too sensitive about owls, while others are completely insensitive. Its always a tough call and a case-by-case judgement.
I’ve noticed a couple of big raptors in my neck of urban Minneapolis. A large hawk-like beast in December and a big owl during our January thaw. I wondered if the deeper snow might have caused a few to wander further in search of prey.
I’ll have to keep an eye out for the owl in my neighborhood to see if it has returned or set up shop/home.
I love the fact that they nest on their prey’s old homes.
I appreciate the post….even though I know some people may get their panties in a bunch! I hope people are respectful enough not to ruin this.
I always learn something new from your posts.
Great pics, as usual!
I’ve kind of fallen in love with owls somehow. Thanks for posting pics. He’s beautiful.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with keeping the location of a nest secret only to be shared with birders that you know are responsible and adhere to the rules of the game. It’s like discovering a great band in a dive bar and hoping they don’t get popular too fast so you can maximize the time you get to enjoy the intimacy of the spectacle.
Along these lines…check out “An Owl-seeker’s Code of Ethics” over at the ABA blog.
http://blog.aba.org/2011/02/owl-seekers-code.html
Yes, every time I visit I learn something and for me, it’s pleasure enough.
I had the pleasure of being told about a Saw-whet roost on the exact day that you posted your blog on “wheaton’s law”. I struggled with what to do out here in RI, and in the end posted to the local listserve about the roost, but not the location. I asked birders interested in viewing the owl to contact me for directions. I figured I could then instill some ethics before divulging the info. 3 days later the owl was gone. It had been there for over two months and I’m sure I’ll get some flack for my decision, but several long time birders got to see their lifer Saw-whet! Was it worth it?http://drewtubedotnet.blogspot.com/2011/02/to-tell-or-not-to-tell.html
That is a tough decision. And saw-whets normally can take quite a bit of viewing. A few years ago, there was a park in the Twin Cities with 2 – 3 reliable saw-whets. The put of up with a lot of shenanigans both from birders, photographers and people walking their dogs who had no clue. It’s especially tough when you know there are people who have not seen a saw-whet yet.
Thanks for posting this. At least I can see them via your photos!
There are several Peregrins nesting in the San Francisco bay area. Their locations are widely known. 24 hour cams are on them. We have falcon groups “boots on the ground” who watch for fallen fledglings and last year one was sent to the mayor of San Jose’s office to nest overnight. He was released onto the roof where his mama found him and escorted him back to the nest. Our “boots” people are trained on raptor rescue. Peregrins are not owls and are largely used to people. I love your blog, btw.
I’m in the same situation. I’ve discovered a nesting Great Horned Owl, and I also decided to publish the pictures without revealing the location of the nest. Nice post and great pictures!
Too bad the owls abandoned their roost, but I think Drew did the right thing in being cautious and at least ‘screening’ anyone that might want to visit the roost. The abandonment may have had nothing at all to do with the presence of birders, but we will never know for sure, so always be respectful and please divulge “An Owl-seeker’s Code of Ethics” at every opportunity.
http://blog.aba.org/2011/02/owl-seekers-code.html