Tag Archives: Owls

Short-eared Owl and Franklin’s Gulls, October 29, 2015

Snow Buntings

Snow Buntings (click to see the larger version)

The gusty west winds produced a Short-eared Owl and 9 Franklin’s Gulls this morning, October 29. The owl flushed out of the dunes and the Franklin’s flew south over the east end of the beach. I only spent an hour in the field so I imagine there were more Franklin’s moving. I also had a Greater Yellowlegs on the beach, a Wilson’s Snipe in the dunes, 2 Snow Buntings, and 15 or so Pine Siskins at the point. The Snow Buntings posed obligingly on the fishing pier for a photograph (try to ignore the graffiti).

Long-eared and Short-eared Owls, April 1, 2014

I had both Long-eared and Short-eared Owls this morning, April 1. The Short-eared Owl flushed from the dunes at the east end of the beach and flew out over the lake. This is fairly typical behavior for Short-eareds at Montrose. The Long-eared owl was roosting comfortably in the protected area on the east side of the Point. I saw nothing else of note.

Snowy Owl, March 21, 2014

Snowy Owl

Snowy Owl (click to see the larger version)

A lone Snowy Owl was still at Montrose this morning, March 21. This bird, probably an immature female based on the heavy and extensive barring, was resting on the ice inside the fishhook pier.

Other birds seen at Montrose this a.m. include several White-winged Scoters on the lake and inside the harbor, 4 northbound Northern Pintails, Greater and Lesser Scaup and Redheads inside the harbor, and 2 or 3 Horned Grebes inside the harbor. I did not see the Red-necked Grebe.

Snowy Owls, March 20, 2014

I had 3 Snowy Owls this morning, March 20, all on the shelf ice at the east end of the beach. I guess they had to come back eventually. All 3 birds were heavily marked and probably immature. Also, they were all very close to each other on the beach, probably within a hundred yard span together.

Probable Snowy Owl Pellet, February 8, 2014

Probable Snowy Owl Pellet

Probable Snowy Owl Pellet (click to see the larger version)

I walked around Montrose on Saturday morning, February 8 for a little while. I didn’t see anything unexpected but I did find a putative Snowy Owl pellet on the revetment just south of the beach. It’s about 3.5 inches long and 1.5 inches wide and looks like the remains of a small mammal, perhaps a rat. I’m assuming it’s from a Snowy Owl based on the size of the bolus, the location, and the fact that so many Snowy Owls have been around. The specimen will be donated to the Field Museum.

Followup: Field Museum biologist Josh Engel determined that the remains are from a scaup.