Every Halloween, I ponder spooky birds. Which Maine birds might be considered eerie?
Certain birds always make the list. Crows and ravens are associated with death and mayhem. Double-crested cormorants adopt the “Dracula pose” when standing on seaside cliffs to dry their wings. Vultures are, well, vultures.
Inevitably, owls emerge as number one. They are silent hunters with eyes that seem to look right through you. Although their calls vary by species, most vocalizations are loud and often blood-curdling. For instance, screech owls screech.
Great horned owls are intimidating. They are large and fearless. They will attack humans who get too near their nest.
Barred owls are smaller, but not by much. So often I’ve felt like I was being watched, and it turned out to be true.
Northern saw-whet owls are tiny and tame. Their toot-toot-toot mating calls aren’t particularly alarming. At this time of year, they have a call while migrating that sounds like a cat’s tail pinned under the rocking chair.
Barn owls don’t breed in Maine, but they are the most widespread owl in the world. Their breeding range stretches from southern New England to the bottom of South America. They have a spooky appearance, appearing ghostly white in the darkness. They often nest in manmade structures and have a long, otherworldly call that sounds more like a hiss than a hoot.
We can learn a lot from owls. In fact, we must. Because they are nocturnal and elusive predators, they face environmental threats that we’d miss if we didn’t pay close attention. Their numbers could drop precipitously, and we’d never know until it was too late.
Something like that is going on right now. Spotted owls are a federally endangered species that inhabit old-growth forests in the West. Barred owls are an eastern species that is steadily expanding its range westward into spotted owl territory. Barred owls are bigger, more aggressive and have a more generalized diet, allowing them to outcompete their cousins.
Historically, natural barriers prevented barred owls from moving west. The treeless Great Plains blocked their way. Over time, settlers planted trees and suppressed forest fires. More trees allowed barred owl populations to expand westward.
Meanwhile, the old-growth habitat that spotted owls need has been reduced by timber harvesting. They thrive in the tall, dense spruces of the West. It’s not ideal habitat for barred owls. The replacement of old forests with new growth favors the barred owl, putting the dwindling spotted owl population at even greater risk.
What’s to be done? In some areas, barred owls are being culled to reduce interspecies competition. A highly controversial proposal may remove many more. Proponents argue that killing barred owls may be the only way to rescue spotted owls from extinction. Opponents abhor the idea of harming any owl. Some view the culling as a favor to the timber companies. With less pressure on an endangered species, more harvesting areas might open.
Owls face many other dangers. One emerging threat is the widespread use of second-generation rodenticides. These potent poisons are working their way into the food chain, affecting not just mice and rats but everything that eats mice and rats.
It’s ironic, but scientific study of one of the smallest owls has yielded some of the biggest results. Northern saw-whet owls are migratory, whereas great-horned and barred owls are not. When owls from the Canadian forests pass through Maine, saw-whets are relatively easy to capture.
It takes only a few minutes of handling an owl to learn its gender, age and physical condition. This offers clues to the health of the entire forest. When a lot of young owls are netted, it’s a sign of a good breeding year. When owls show ample levels of fat, it indicates that the food supply was decent during the summer. By studying migrating owls annually, ornithologists can notice trends that may be encouraging or perhaps discouraging.
I’ll be interested to see how a scorching summer, with widespread drought and forest fires, has affected owl populations this year.
Occasionally, when I describe how tiny saw-whet owls are examined quickly and then released unharmed, I get pushback. Some folks believe we should leave wild birds alone, especially the cute ones. In their view, researching the condition of the birds, the stability of the population and the health of the forest does not justify momentary inconvenience to individual owls.
I get it. Undergoing a physical exam for your own good isn’t always pleasant. I think about that during every colonoscopy.
