Despite habitat protection, endangered owls decline in Mount Rainier National Park

AUGUST 8, 2019

by American Ornithological Society

When the Northern Spotted Owl was protected under the Endangered Species Act in 1990, the primary threat to the species was the loss of the old-growth forest it depends on. However, new research published in The Condor: Ornithological Applications shows that the Northern Spotted Owl population in Washington's Mount Rainier National Park has declined sharply in the past two decades despite the long-term preservation of habitat within the park. The culprit? The spread of Barred Owls, a closely related, competing species that has moved into Spotted Owls' range from the east.

Biologists have seen Barred Owls in Spotted Owl territories within the national park more and more frequently since Spotted Owl surveys began in 1997. For their new study, Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit's Anna Mangan, the National Park Service's Tara Chestnut, and their colleagues analyzed two decades' worth of data from these surveys. "We found that Spotted Owls now occupy 50% fewer territories in the park than they did 20 years ago when the study began, despite the lack of habitat disturbance," says Chestnut. "Spotted Owls were less likely to be present in territories where Barred Owls were detected, and if Spotted Owls were there, sharing space with Barred Owls made them less likely to breed. Only 18 adult Spotted Owls were detected in the study area in 2016, down from a high of 30 owls in 1998."

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Rare bird alert: Owls are returning to NH

Sightings are coming in across the state

UPDATED 12:00 AM EDT Mar 11, 2015

ASHLAND, N.H. —"WHO COOKS FOR YOU, WHO?"

That was the familiar question I heard being hooted in the night air near Ashland, this week.

"WHO?"

As I walked my dog for the final time of the day, I knew I was hearing the inimitable barred owl, who has been away for the winter. It was another true sign of spring.

Sightings or voices of owls that breed in New Hampshire were being heard across the state this past week including eastern screech owls in Hollis, Nashua, and Rye; northern saw-whet owls in Merrimack and Hancock, barred owls in Ashland and Orford, and several great horned owls from multiple locations.

Owls are busy courting and starting to nest during this time of the year. All of those owls breed in the Granite State.

The sightings were part of New Hampshire Audubon's Rare Bird Alert for Monday, March 9.

A juvenile red-headed woodpecker was discovered near the public boat launch at Adams Point in Durham in November and was last reported on March 8.

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Rare albino barred owl found in Cedar Falls, taken to rehab center

July 18, 2014 5:30 am • ALISA HRUSTIC alisa.hrustic@wcfcourier.com

CEDAR FALLS | A rare albino barred owl, picked up by animal control officers Saturday, is being nursed back to health by volunteers of the Black Hawk Wildlife Rehabilitation Project.
The bird was found along Main Street, a few blocks from his home nest, and left experts in awe at the sight of his completely white plumage.

When animal control called Linda Nebbe, a rehabilitation volunteer of about 40 years, she couldn't believe they had an all-white owl to bring her.

"I wanted to say 'yeah right,'" she said. "I've never seen anything like this."

Nebbe believes the owl became sick after eating something that clearly impacted his system.

"He started acting with a lack of control," she said. "He was very droopy and seemed not aware and didn't react to anything. I gave him some fluid and he was very dry."

The owl also was severely underweight, but is only a baby yet, and is improving already.

"Now he's eating well," Nebbe said. "We took him to the vet on Tuesday and she found him to be, from everything we could see, in good health."

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BIRD RESCUE: Animal rescue center tries 'OWLcupuncture' to heal wounded bird

A Central Arkansas rescue organization is using an unconventional treatment to get an injured owl back on her feet.

"We take these animals that have human-caused injuries, and when there is a human-caused injury we feel the obligation to do something," explained Lynne Slater, the executive director of the HAWK Center. 

In January, a female barred owl was brought to the center after being hit by a car.

Slater and other volunteers at the HAWK Center call her Enola, after the town where it happened.

"When she came in, I honestly thought she was dead in the box. She was comatose. She was knocked out cold," Slater said. "I noted that she could not move one leg, and yet she could move her wings and she could use the other leg."

Slater said they decided to wait and see what happened.

After a week, there was very little progress.

"An owl that can't move a foot can't survive in the wild," Slater said.

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Muddy the Owl shot by ‘hunter’ in Ottawa park

OTTAWA — It’s the last place you’d expect to see someone hunting, let alone for a Thanksgiving bird.

But there they were, armed with a pellet rifle and dressed in camouflage as they set out on the hunt for a bird last Saturday in Mud Lake Conservation Area, popular for its wooded trails and wildlife and set within city limits in Britannia.

Jennifer MacMillan and a friend were taking a stroll on the trails around 6 p.m. last Saturday when she heard a loud popping sound right before a barred owl fell from the treetops and started flopping around on the forest floor.

“You could see that Muddy The Owl was scared and freaked out,” recalled MacMillan, who had her friend call 911 while she comforted Muddy.

“Then I heard a rustle ahead and a man appeared from the bush. He was looking for what he had shot but saw me instead, turned and ran back into the bush.

It was at this point that a second hunter appeared from the woods, and in broken English, asked “Is that something you eat?”, she recalled.

“They were going to have Thanksgiving Owl and I was completely disgusted,” MacMillan said.

Ottawa Police showed up quickly and, after a foot chase, captured the hunter who shot Muddy The Owl and showed him the back seat of a cruiser. “The police asked me to identify the shooter in the back of the police car (and) I recognized him as the person who shot Muddy.”

Because the conservation area is managed by the National Capital Commission, police handed the case over to NCC enforcement officers who fined the shooter $615 for hunting on NCC land.

The NCC told the Citizen it’s against their policy to publicly identify the man who shot Muddy.

Muddy, suffering from a fractured wing, was taken by an NCC officer to Ottawa’s Wild Bird Care Centre (http://www.wildbirdcarecentre.org).

“It’s so cruel, and for what? Someone’s amusement?,” said Deborah Hass, the centre’s executive director.

Muddy wasn’t doing so well and appeared to be in severe pain. The larger bones of an owl are hollow, so instead of clear fractures that can be mended, they are more likely to splinter or smash on impact, making it impossible to put the pieces back together.

On Wednesday afternoon, Muddy The Owl had to be euthanized after X-rays revealed the worst.

Continued:  http://www.ottawacitizen.com/travel/Muddy+shot+hunter+Ottawa+park/7383876/story.html