Re: saw whet owls

"cole" <cole_n_schara@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

could anyone give me some info on saw whet owls and where to find them?
is summer a good time to find them in wi? could someone help?

OK, I waited for somebody else to take this one, but it ain't
workin', so ...

Summer is a not a good time to find Northern Saw-whet owls, because
they aren't as vocal as in the spring. Because the are strictly nocturnal
and they are small, and they are not as common as Barred Owls, they
are in general harder to find.

If you are far enough north to be in their breeding territory, then your
best bet is to listen for them, or use a tape to try to get them to
respond, in the spring. Best habitat is groves of small pine trees,
say 20-25 feet high or less, and not Jack Pines.

We get them down here (northern Indiana) only in the winter. They
will sometimes respond to tapes with very short "barks" in the
winter. We have accumulated a variety of good spots
over the years where people have found them in these groves of
small pines, and we check them regularly. Once found, they will
frequently use the same area as a daytime roost for weeks or
longer. During the day, they are highly approachable and almost
never flush. But they aren't always easy to see.

This Wisconsin birding list could be a big help on this one.


--
Randy


.