The Prairie Owl

Palouse Audubon Society

VOLUME 42 ISSUE 4

February-March, 2014

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President: Ron Force 208-874-3207 ronforce@gmail.com, Vice President: Marie Dymkoski, 509-595-1650 Marie-dymkoski@msn.com Secretary: Diane Weber 509-334-3817 catbirdz@roadrunner.com Treasurer: Lavon Frazier 509-595-1913 lavon_frazier@outlook.com Membership: Ron Force Newsletter Editor: Tim Hillebrand 208-310-1341 tshphd@gmail.com Publicity: Diane Weber Conservation Committee: Mike Costa 509-332-1793 majcosta@live.com Field Trips: Vacant Members at Large Becky Phillips 509-339-6277 beccap22@gmail.com Paul Schroeder 509-334-2470 schroede2003@yahoo.com Kerry Littlefield 425-583-6287 littlefieldka@gmail.com James Storms 509-635-1272 nbutte@pullman.com

EVENT CALENDAR February 14-17: Great Backyard Bird Count February 19: Climate and Fire Shaping Evolution in Australian Fairy Wrens (Douglas Barron) March 19: Feathered Architects: Birds and Their Nests (Idie Ulsh) April 22, 24, 29, May 3: Begin-ning Birding Class April 1-June 30: Photo Contest Submissions April 26, May 3: Bird class field trips April 16: Some Interesting Birds of Australia (Paul Schroeder)

September: Photo winners announced

BIRD OF THE MONTH:

Northern Hawk Owl

By Paul Schroeder

We on the Palouse have recently become

much more aware of the Northern Hawk Owl

(see accompanying article). Since they are so

infrequent in the Palouse area, I thought a

short briefing about the species might be ap-

propriate. This owl is truly northern. The

range shown for it in Sibley’s Western Bird

Guide indicates that just about all appear-

ances in the U.S. (except Alaska) are spo-

radic and infrequent. The bird’s main range

is in Canada, extending quite far north…a

cold weather bird! Several sources I have con-

sulted consider this bird to be the least-

studied species in North America, primarily

because of the inaccessibility of its preferred

habitat, which consists of forest edges near

meadows, clearings, or old burns in which the

meadow-dwelling voles occur.

The Moscow bird was frequently observed

feeding on small rodents, which most proba-

bly were voles, which are common on the Pa-

louse.

The hawk owl also occurs in Europe and

Asia, with three subspecies altogether; in the

Palearctic, they extend from northern Scandi-

navia to North Korea. (They have been illus-

trated on stamps of Kazakhstan, North Ko-

rea, Belarus and the Ukraine.) Studies in

both Scandinavia and North America indicate

that the species feeds primarily on voles

(species of Microtus) in western North

The Owl that Came

for Christmas

By Diane Weber

On January 16 the Northern Hawk-Owl

that delighted hundreds of birders since

early December was apparently hit by a

vehicle as it hunted along Mountain View

Road. It was captured by Terry Gray and

taken to the Raptor Rehab Center at the

WSU Vet School, where it died several

hours later. During its stay, the hawk-owl

tolerated a multitude of visitors and--to the

relief of many--cooperated by staying for the

Moscow-Pullman Christmas Bird Count.

While the hawk-owl was in Moscow, local

birders assisted the birding community with

updates on its preferred hunting sites, fa-

vored perching spots, and behavioral de-

tails. However, no one did more than Terry

Gray. Terry checked on its location daily,

posted updates and photographs on Inland-

NW-Birders and Facebook, and visited with

birders from around the United States who

travelled to Moscow to see the bird. Terry’s

connection with the hawk-owl was so well-

known that he was the one who was called

when someone found it lying in the road. On

behalf of the entire local birding community,

Palouse Audubon Society says “Thank you,

Terry” for representing all of us so well.

Hawk Owl photos courtesy of Terry Gray

From the Prez

VOLUME 42 ISSUE 4 THE PRAIRIE OWL PAGE 2

Northern Hawk Owl continued

See the results of the Christmas Bird Count on our

Website at www.palouseaudubon.org

.

America, although they have been re-

ported to feed on juvenile snowshoe

hares in Denali National Park in

Alaska, and other types of rodents in

eastern North America and Scandina-

via. The birds are migratory within

their habitat, and use burned areas

until they start to recover. One study

estimated that the number of nests

peaked at 2 years after the burn and

returned to zero after eight years.

These authors estimated that at 2

years there were three nests per 100

square kilometers! They are thought to

appear south of the Canadian border

primarily due to changes in popula-

tions of their preferred prey, which also

causes migrations of other owls, nota-

bly, in our area, Snowy Owls, and else-

where, Boreal Owls. A number of spe-

cies of small rodents (and, famously,

the snowshoe hares) undergo distinct

population cycles. These cycles are not

synchronous, so that a good year for

one species might correspond to a poor

one for another, or, several species

might crash at once. The causes of

these cycles have been thought to be

related to population cycles in the ro-

dent predators, but the owls have been

found to respond to the rodent declines

too quickly to be considered their

cause. These questions are still being

debated in ornithological journals.

These factors make their appearances

south of the Canadian border irregular,

and although their population density

in their northern habitat is unknown,

it is probably lower than that of the

Snowy Owls, the irruptions of which,

though also irregular, are more fre-

quent in our area. Wikipedia has a

good article on the species, along with

a list of sources for more information.

Ron Force

Normal range of the Northern Hawk

Owl.

I've been traveling in Vietnam and

Cambodia, where the streets are

filled with bird song. The Vietnam-

ese love birds. They love them so

much, they catch and keep wild

birds in cages. Their balconies and

markets ate festooned with cages

filled with Red-Whiskered Bulbuls,

Doves, and White-Eyes all singing

their hearts out. I saw more birds

in cages than in the wild, for obvi-

ous reasons. The story of the Hawk

Owl reminds us what it means to

be free, even with the risk of death.

Editor’s Note: Ron flew helicopters

for the U.S. Army in the Viet Nam

War.

PAGE 3 THE PRAIRIE OWL VOLUME 42 ISSUE 4

Whoo Gives a Hoot? by Tim Hillebrand

Now that we have had the pleasure of a visit by the ex-

otic Northern Hawk Owl, what other hooters might we

expect to see in our area? Probably the most well known

and most seen species is the Great Horned Owl. I can

hear them hooting in the trees in my yard at night. Less

common, but about the same size, is the Long Eared

Owl, which is sometimes confused with the Great

Horned Owl for they are somewhat similar.

Barn Owls are not uncommon in the region. I have

caught them bathing in my pond on occasion. If you are

lucky you might get a glimpse of a Barred Owl in Idaho.

But you are not likely to see a Boreal Owl.

Another visitor from the far northern reaches is the

Snowy Owl. In the summer you might be lucky enough

to see Burrowing Owls.

Keep a look out for the small Flammulated Owl in the

summer too. Another big owl you might see is the Great

Gray Owl.

The diminutive Northern Pygmy Owl can be seen year

round. Another little guy is the Northern Saw-whet

Owl that is also here year round.

In contrast to the Long Earred Owl, you might also

catch a glimpse of a Short Earred Owl (also known as

Prairie Owl), but usually just in the summer. Keep an

ear out for the Western Screech Owl year round.

How’s that for an owl roundup? We actually have quite

a nice inventory of owls in our neck of the woods. How

many of these owls have you seen though? I certainly

haven’t seen them all, but I’d like to add more to my

list. Maybe we should organize some owling trips in the

future. The problem is that these creatures are largely

nocturnal, which makes them difficult to find and see.

So, it’s good that they give a hoot.

Great Horned Owl Long Eared Owl

Barn Owl Barred Owl

Snowy Owl Burrowing Owl

Flammulated Owl Great Grey Owl

Northern Pygmy Owl Northern Saw-whet Owl

Short Eared Owl Western Screech Owl

PAGE 4 VOLUME 42 ISSUE 4

Othello Sandhill Crane Festival

THE PRAIRIE OWL

The Othello Sandhill Crane Festival will be held this

year on March 28-30. The festival includes tours for

crane viewing and specialty tours: burrowing owl,

Columbia National Wildlife Refuge, Missoula Floods,

and more. Pre-registration is recommended as most

tours fill quickly. The festival fee includes admission

to lectures at the Othello High School and the educa-

tional displays and vendor exhibits in the high school

gym on Saturday. The banquet on Saturday evening

features invited speakers. Check the festival website

at http://www.othellosandhillcranefestival.org/

index.php for more details. As of the end of January,

the festival brochure with details on speakers, tours,

and registration information has not been posted. If

you are interested in attending the festival this year,

check the website frequently for updates.

Get the New Merlin Bird ID App

The Cornell University Laboratory of

Ornithology has just issued a new,

free bird ID app for IOS devices. It

will be available for Android in the

Spring of 2014. It’s a simple step by

step (5 steps) bird ID wizard. Here’s a

video about how it works:

http://merlin.allaboutbirds.org. Merlin

draws upon more than 70 million ob-

servations from the eBird citizen-

science project. It customizes your list

to the species you are most likely to

have seen at your location and time of

year.

February 14-17, 2014

http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/

Are you ready for the Great Backyard Bird Count

(GBBC)? This is an annual 4-day event that engages

bird counters of all ages to create a real-time snapshot

of where birds are this time of year. As the GBBC cele-

brates its 17th year, it continues to attract participants

from around the world. Anyone, anywhere is welcome

to participate in this educational activity that is free,

fun, and helps your local birds.

The GBBC is a great way to learn more about the

birds in your community and connect with nature, and

it is perfect for fledgling birders. You count birds any-

time or anywhere during the four days, tally the high-

est number of birds of each species seen together at

any one time, and report the counts on-line at the

GBBC website. As the count progresses, anyone with

Internet access can explore what is being reported

from around the world. The website is loaded with

information to help participants and to inform birders

in general. Be sure to visit it and explore the wealth of

information there. You can even print a tally sheet

with a list of birds for your city or town or zip code

[http://gbbc.birdsource.org/gbbcApps/checklist]. Local

reports, photos, questions, and comments can also be

posted on the PAS Facebook page.

Great Backyard Bird Count

I am happy to report

that the Bald Eagles fi-

nally arrived in Lake

Coeur d’Alene. The day

after Christmas, my son

and I ventured up there

not knowing what to expect. We were well re-

warded. There were eagles soaring overhead, there

were eagles in the trees that looked like Christmas

tree ornaments, there were eagles diving for fish. It

was a real spectacle. The cruise boat from the Coeur

d’Alene Resort was there too. I am not certain how

many birds we saw, but it must have been at least a

couple of hundred.

The Eagle Has Landed by Tim Hillebrand

PAGE 5

THE PRAIRIE OWL VOLUME 42 ISSUE 4

MEMBERSHIP

Palouse Audubon Society (PAS), PO Box 3606, Moscow ID

83843-1914, is a chapter of the National Audubon Society (NAS)

with its own dues. New NAS members in our chapter area receive

one year’s free membership in PAS, along with the chapter news-

letter and other benefits of membership.

PAS dues of $15 are payable in September. Members may re-

ceive the chapter newsletter, The Prairie Owl, either by mail or

by email notification of its posting on the chapter’s website. Mem-

bers are encouraged to read the newsletter online to save printing

and postage expenses. PAS members who have not renewed and

NAS members who have not paid dues after one year of member-

ship are removed from the newsletter distribution list on Decem-

ber 31st.

General membership meetings are held at the 1912 Building,

FISKE ROOM, 3rd and Adams St, Moscow ID, at 7:30 p.m. on the

third Wednesday of each month, September through May. The

board of directors meets at the 1912 Center at 7:30 p.m. on the

first Tuesday of each month.

The Prairie Owl is published every other month, August

through April. Material for the Owl should be sent to the editor,

Tim Hillebrand, 857 Orchard Ave., Moscow ID 83843, 805-518-

9612, tshphd@gmail.com by the 20th of the month. Subscription

problems should be addressed to the membership chair, Ron

Force, PO Box 3606, Moscow ID 83843-1914, 208-874-3207, ron-

force@gmail.com. Visit the Palouse Audubon Society website at

http://www.palouseaudubon.org/ or find us on Facebook.

MEET THE BOARD

Mike Costa Conservation Chair

Wingtips

Collective nouns for owls include bazaar, glaring,

parliament, stooping and wisdom.

Our Northern Hawk Owl was a boy reports Dr. Kelly

Cassidy, Curator, Conner Museum. He weighed a hefty

361 g. His last meal was a vole. He had no broken bones.

He has been prepared as a study skin and will not be

displayed. Why? I think this is a shame and wish it

could be reversed. What think you?

Editor

I work at WSU as a molecular

biologist and my research

involves the regulation of

plant gene expression. A na-

tive of Quincy, Massachu-

setts, I came to WSU over 30

years ago and, soon after ar-

riving, was greeted by the

eruption of Mt. St. Helens in

1980. I have always been

drawn to nature and conser-

vation. Growing up in a sub-

urb of Boston, I got my hands

on anything and everything

that was a part of nature, from birds to butterflies to

bees and pollywogs and sea shells – you name it! When

I first came to the Palouse and heard the ring necked

pheasant’s metallic chortling sound, I was mesmerized.

I was amazed to realize that sound came from a bird! I

was even more so enchanted when I heard the strange

sounds of the California quail.

When I attended the local PAS gatherings, I wanted to

be involved in a more meaningful manner, within my

interests, than to just participate casually. I noticed

the unfilled post of “Conservation Chair” in the PAS

newsletter and thought “that’s my niche”. I approached

the then PAS president Tom Weber with my interests

and he invited me to participate in the board meetings.

Soon I was appointed to the post of conservation chair

and little did I know what awaited me. The first project

that Tom challenged me with was a proposal for a Fer-

ruginous Hawk nesting platform.

I feel that conservation is the main way that I can help

others become more aware of the fragility of our natural

surroundings. I have to admit that there is a lot more

to the conservation scenario than I had anticipated,

including issues dealing with wind turbines, sagebrush

shrub-steppe ecology, wetlands, and more. Dealing

with these grand-scale conservation concerns is some-

times overwhelming for me to fathom. I would appreci-

ate any suggestions, comments, or feedback concerning

conservation issues that we should be emphasizing

from a local perspective.

My favorite bird is the Northern cardinal, with the

male sporting vibrant red plumage, a black mask, and

red head crest sticking up. Although there are no car-

dinals in this region, I look forward to watching them

whenever I visit home back East. Locally, I enjoy the

antics of the many Red-breasted nuthatches that visit my

feeders.

The Cardinal is Mike’s favorite

bird. Too bad we don’t have any

around here.

Wingtips

Collective nouns for Owls:

Primary Business Address

Your Address Line 2

Your Address Line 3

Your Address Line 4

PALOUSE AUDUBON SOCIETY

.

We’re on the Web:

www.palouseaudubon.org

and on Facebook

PALOUSE AUDUBON SOCIETY

Get to know our local Owls

Give a Hoot. Go Owling.

Palouse Audubon Society

PO Box 3606

Moscow ID 83843-1914

The mission of the Palouse Audubon

Society is to promote education,

conservation, and the restoration of

natural ecosystems--focusing on

birds, other wildlife, and their

habitats--for the benefit of humanity

and the Earth's biological diversity

Palouse Audubon’s popular Beginning Bird-

ing Class will be offered again this spring.

Class sessions will held in the 1912 Center,

Moscow, from 7:30 to 9:00pm, on April 22, 24,

29, and May 1, with morning field trips on

April 26 and May 3.The class will be taught

by local birding expert Kevin Pullen and is

designed for adults of all ages who want to

learn how to identify birds or how to bird bet-

ter. This session will highlight spring mi-

grants, and you will learn how to identify a

variety of birds in migration: warblers, spar-

rows, thrushes, hawks, and others. A dona-

tion of $50 ($40 for Palouse Audubon mem-

bers) is requested. Class size is limited and

registration before the first class session is

required. For more information, or to register

for the class, contact Diane Weber at cat-

birdz@roadrunner.com or 509-334-3817.

Beginning Birding Class Nominations for Palouse Audubon Chapter Officers

Palouse Audubon is now accepting nominations for

chapter Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

Election of officers will take place at the program

meeting in February, where nominations will also be

accepted from the floor. If you are interested in serv-

ing in one of these positions, please contact Marie

Dymkoski (marie-dymkoski@msn.com, or 509-595-

1650). More information can be found in the chapter

Bylaws posted on the Palouse Audubon Society web-

site, www.palouseaudubon.org, at the link “About Us,

Mission”.

PAS Photo Contest

You are invited to enter your best bird and nature

photos in our first annual, amateur PAS Photo con-

test. Submissions will be accepted from April 1 to

June 30, 2014. The winners will be announced at the

September PAS program meeting. Prizes will be

awarded for first and second place winners in each

category. For details, please visit our website:

www.palouseaudubon.org.