[ValleyNature] Fwd: [NatureNS] barred owls in BLF's yard

[James W. Wolford]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Andrew Steeves <andrew at gaspereau.com>
> Date: March 13, 2009 11:51:33 AM ADT
> To: naturens at chebucto.ns.ca
> Subject: Re: [NatureNS] barred owls in BLF's yard
> Reply-To: naturens at chebucto.ns.ca
>
> Yeah, I was up in Bernard's yard with him when the female BARRED  
> OWL swooped in to join the male. I was driving by on my way to try  
> and whistle-up saw-whet owls when I saw Bernard and his wife out  
> for a walk on Ridge Road and I stopped and invited him to join me.  
> We went to put a snack out for the backyard barred owl first and we  
> got quite a show. Bernard was pretty excited, and I think glad to  
> have someone there to listen to his play-by-play commentary. I'd  
> never seen barred owls doing their "courtship feeding" as Jim  
> called it, and was surprised in particular by the whimpering purr  
> of the female begging for the food. All of this was illuminated by  
> the full moon on the rise.
>
> The conditions were great, but we had no luck on the saw-whets. A  
> little early for them to be calling, I suppose.
>
> Biking to to Kentville at daybreak, there seem to be more and more  
> SONG SPARROWS singing every day now. And the smell of SKUNKS every  
> few days too, so clearly they're up wandering around now. There was  
> one dead on the road yesterday, so maybe he wasn't fully awake yet  
> when he tried his luck on the road. This morning, besides skunks  
> and sparrows, I was treated to a nice NORTHERN CARDINAL song on the  
> corner of Gaspereau and Pleasant in Wolfville.
>
> Best regards,
> Andrew Steeves
> Wolfville
> ____________________________________________
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: James W. Wolford
> To: naturens at chebucto.ns.ca
> Sent: Wednesday, March 11, 2009 7:01 PM
> Subject: [NatureNS] barred owls in BLF's yard, eagle on nest,  
> ravens at nest, etc.
> [ ... ] This evening Bernard Forsythe fed his single BARRED OWL  
> (male from his deep hooting) as usual in his back yard on Wolfville  
> Ridge -- BUT for the first time this year he became aware of a  
> SECOND BARRED OWL, which was obviously the male's mate, shown by  
> the male taking the food and giving it to her (courtship feeding).   
> As Bernard says, this bodes well for this year's late-April N.S.  
> Bird Society/Blomidon Naturalists Society field trip, at which we  
> hope his yard and nesting? owls will be our first stop.
>
> Cheers from Jim in Wolfville

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