This month I have a couple of things on my mind.  They are not related in any particular fashion, other than being about birds.  They are offered to give you an idea for something to do and think about.  First, is a suggestion for spring time birding, the red-tailed hawk.  Second, is an update on the barred owl. 

Courting red-tailed hawks

As the winter light transitions and the days get longer I find my mind replaying tapes of spring time birding memories.  And though winter is my favorite season to bird, I am developing a powerful hankerin’ for some spring birding.  One spring time sight not to miss is the behavior of red-tailed hawks.  To most folks, a red-tailed hawk is typically seen roosting on a freeway lamp post, hunched over staring at the ground.  Or possibly recognized as “some hawk,” spiraling high in the sky.  But birders know better.  We will set ourselves down and get ready for what most people see only on Wild Kingdom, or now days that would be the Discovery Channel.  For those who are patient, the ubiquitous red-tailed hawk will provide quite a show.  I first experienced the aerial show on a field trip with Bud Anderson of the Falcon Research Group.  On a very sunny Saturday we toured the Sammish and Skagit flats looking for raptors.  At a stand of trees in the middle of farmland we noticed a hawk, pulled over, and got out of the car.  Soon another approached clutching a small rodent in its talons.  The aerial display was memorable.  We must have watched for almost an hour.  The pair circled and waltzed on the blue dance floor, eventually ending in a courtship feeding.  The density of red-tailed hawks is quite high on the flats and chance of observing interesting behavior is quite good for the birder that is patient.  So take some time on the next sunny Saturday and travel up to the flats to enjoy hawk behavior.

Barred owl invasion

The northern spotted owl (NSO) population in Washington State is declining and it doesn’t look as though it is due to habitat destruction.  While some habitat has been lost on State and private forest land, a great majority of Washington State NSO habitat is on Federal land and this habitat has remained fairly stable.  Not the primary suspect in the continued decline of the NSO.  Nevertheless, habitat protection will continue to be a focus of NSO recovery.  Infectious diseases such as the West Nile virus have also been considered as a cause but as of yet, discounted.  What is suspected to be the primary cause is the range expansion of the barred owl.  Originally a species of the eastern United States, the barred owl probably first entered Washington from British Columbia in the 1960’s.  Today, there may be more barred owls than any other species in Washington.  The range expansion of the barred owl did not stop at the Washington border.  They now have spread into northern California.  Just how they are impacting NSO populations is not well understood.  A research program needs to be instituted now but financial resources are limited for such work.  While we in the environmental community would welcome funding for research, one could see where the forest products community would be less interested in the research.  The barred owl could make their NSO problem go away – permanently!  The decline in the NSO population in Washington is so dramatic that it must be understood now so management can implement remedies soon.  It is time for birders to write their representatives to fund research and bring the conversation to the community with letters to the editor.  Let’s keep our eye on this.

(Written and provided by J. Baker)

 

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