Who-o-o should you look for in the dead of winter? How about owls?
February is a slow time for bird watching in Nebraska. Days are short, temperatures are cold, lakes and ponds are frozen, and there just doesn’t seem to be many birds around. However, now is a good time to look for owls, especially great horned owls.
Great horned owls are common in Nebraska and are the producers of the “Hoo hoo hoo….hoo hoo..hoo” call that many recognize. Surprisingly, you may already have great horned owls incubating eggs near your home. This owl species is one of the earliest nesting bird species in the state, occasionally nesting in late January. Why on earth would they do this?
One reason is that by nesting early great horned owls have first choice of last year’s raptor nests (it is much easier to touch up an old nest than build a new one). Red-tailed hawks are also early nesters, but the great horned owls beat them by at least a month. Even though young great horned owls will have to survive some cold nights, they mature fairly quickly and are beginning to fledge and go out on their own when many young rabbits and other prey are just beginning their own lives – which should mean easier hunting.
Who-who-who else might you find around this winter? Eastern screech-owls are present and will soon begin to “whinny” and whistle at night. These little owls (8 inches tall) resemble great horned owls with pronounced ear tufts on their heads and may be found sunning in holes in trees or nest boxes on cold, sunny days.
Snowy owls visit Nebraska during winter on occasion; watch for them primarily in open country, maybe sitting on a fence post, telephone pole, hay bale or even on the ground. Long-eared owls and the tiny northern saw-whet owl (only 7 inches long from head to tail) are typically found in cedars or other dense trees and may be heard more often than seen. Short-eared owls are another possibility during winter months. Watch for them flying low over grasslands and other open habitats around dusk and dawn.
All of the above species of owls will roost in cedar trees during the day, and if you are observant, and watch for “white wash” (their droppings) and owl pellets under such trees, you may find yourself looking up at — or even face to face with — an owl.
T. J. Walker
Wildlife Biologist
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
North Platte
Clay Center “Wing-Ding” is a festival for birders on the “Flyway”
Saturday, March 1, is the date set for one of central Nebraska’s only birding festivals, the Clay Center “Wing-Ding”.
Doors at the Clay Center Fairgrounds open at 11:00 a.m. with crafts and workshops on building bird feeders. The “Flyway Café” opens at noon, with grilled hamburgers, brats, hotdogs and all the trimmings.
At 1:00 the Raptor Recovery group will have a presentation and many of these magnificent species on display for visitors to get a closer look.
The Wetland Dinner and Auction begins at 5:00, with tables decorated in a Flyway theme by local ladies in the community. The speaker will be Dick Turpin, a retired nebraska Game and parks officer who will share humorous stories of his adventures in Nebraska’s open spaces. An auction with many unique items will follow. For more information, contact Wing-Ding chairperson Susan L. Rohrer at 402-762-3776, or Jim Baird at 402-762-3304.
Special Thanks to:
Nebraska Game and Parks, Birds of Nebraska
www.ngpc.state.ne.us/wildlife/guides/birds/findbirds.asp