(This is a
continuation and conclusion of last week’s blog)
So, why do northern spotted owls like old growth? They don’t “like” old growth; they are adapted to
life in an old growth forest. Thousands of years of evolution have honed their
bodies and their behavior to be successful in that habitat. Can spotted owls
fly to a different kind of habitat? Of course. They are birds. They can fly
wherever they want, and frequently do. It is possible to find one in a second
growth forest or even in a clear-cut area. Just like it is possible to find me
at the beach, or in a desert, or on a mountain, but I don’t live there. Spotted
owls live in old growth forest. That is where their major prey types are to be
found: mainly flying squirrels and red tree voles. They can eat other things
but this is the diet that gets them the energy they need to be able to
reproduce. It takes a lot more energy to nest, produce offspring, and raise
those offspring, than it does merely to survive.
Having located
a spotted owl on a night-time survey, we would follow it up the next day to try
to track down the bird in daylight. Following the azimuth, we recorded the
night before (with some realistic allowances for terrain) we would push our way
into the forest, hooting every few minutes. We had to hoot frequently because
spotted owls are less active and less aware in the daytime. We followed the
approximate azimuth, hooting for the prescribed time and if there was no
response in the given time limit, we returned to the ranger station and
documented the negative result.
The first
time I got a response on a daytime follow-up was as exciting as the first time
I got a night-time response. My partner was as thrilled as I was. I hooted a
few more times and the bird flew to us. He just sat on a branch watching us. We
were the strangest spotted owls he had ever seen. Now for our next trick. I
took off my backpack and produced the big coffee can that held live mice. I
knew what to do, but this was the first time I had done this, so I was not sure
what would happen. I picked a mouse out of the can and set it on a stump. My
partner and I backed away. The mouse sat there for a minute, not sure what was
happening. Then it began to explore the top of the stump, nosing around its new
environment. I had wondered if the mouse would just run away, scurrying into
the forest, but no, it was not in the mood for running. It was a sitting duck
when the owl decided the temptation was too much. It swooped down with its wide
graceful wings outstretched, snatching the mouse. He flew up to a branch and
devoured his prey. My partner and I were just sitting there with our mouths
open. He finished his meal and looked around, occasionally eyeballing us. I
placed another mouse on the stump. Protocol said we were to keep feeding him
mice until either he took one and flew off to his nest (hopefully giving us a
chance to follow to the nest and confirm a breeding pair), or ate four mice.
The protocol said that if he ate four mice without taking any to the nest then
he was not part of a breeding pair for that season. It seemed kind of random to
me, but I guess those in charge had their reasons.
At some
point this bird flew off with a mouse and we gave chase. If you can call it
giving chase when he can fly and we were on foot fighting through the brush.
Fortunately for us there was a nest and it was close by. After coaxing him with
another mouse, he snatched it and took it up to a hollow in a tall rotten snag.
There we saw the female. Bingo. Breeding pair confirmed. Our job was done.
Spotted owls
are the epitome of stealth. They have fringed feathers that makes their flight
almost completely silent. One time on a daytime visit, my Partner and I had
been hooting and hooting for some time when all of a sudden, my partner said,
“oh, hello.” I looked where she was looking. There was a spotted owl sitting on
a branch not ten feet away watching us. We had no idea how long he had been
there. Their mottled coloration also lets them blend in with the forest. I
think I wasted four rolls of film (yes, that was back in the day when cameras
required film) before I finally got one good picture of a spotted owl. So, they
are hard to see and hard to hear, excellent qualities for sneaking up on prey.
But that
does not make them invulnerable. With their habitat shrinking, the energy
requirements for breeding are harder to attain. Their population began to
decline. How many of the other thousands of species that live in the old growth
forests are also in decline? The jury is still out on that, but it is safe to
say that it is a concern. At any rate, as I was ending my time with the Forest
Service, the spotted owl became officially listed as a threatened species on
the Endangered Species List. Monitoring the status of the owl population became
the responsibility of the US Fish and Wildlife Service. My time was done, but
it was one of the more fascinating jobs I ever had. Earlier in the summer my
partner Monica and I were talking about the fact that we were working ourselves
out of jobs (less timber harvesting meant less money to the agency. Temporary
workers like Monica and I would be the first ones cut). Monica said, “I’m
actually okay with that. I can get another job. The spotted owl can’t.”
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