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zx2run
07-09-2008, 12:01 AM
For those of you that like owls...here are some pics of one of the screech owls i have been working with. Enjoy :)

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm92/zx2un/DSCF0047.jpg
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm92/zx2un/DSCF0048.jpg
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm92/zx2un/DSCF0049.jpg

primos
07-09-2008, 11:00 AM
great pix jess..

gabboon
07-09-2008, 11:09 AM
are you going to hunt with them?

I catch a few most years at my saw-whet banding site. Neat creatures but nasty as they all crap profusely when captured. And I'm not talking nice white mutes, but nasty sticky smelly brown half digested mouse that they force through their systems. An unpleasant and effective defense. I've also had a couple open up and scream. It is hard to believe how much volumes such a small bird can produce.

redtailflyer
07-09-2008, 06:48 PM
gabboon do you trap many saw whets during the year...lol ive worked with a few of them at a zoo. they are extremely quiet when they are flying!

gabboon
07-09-2008, 07:57 PM
I think I've caught about 1500 in the past dozen years. Good numbers for my location, but some places north catch that many in some seasons. Most i've caught in a season was something over 400. A few more than most people see.

zx2run
07-09-2008, 11:12 PM
This bird is actually a rehab bird. He was hit by a car and has part of a wing amputated. He still screams every time u pick him up...but he calms down in a few minutes.

redtailflyer
07-12-2008, 08:00 PM
I think I've caught about 1500 in the past dozen years. Good numbers for my location, but some places north catch that many in some seasons. Most i've caught in a season was something over 400. A few more than most people see. 07-09-2008 04:48 PM

That is a ton of saw whets!!!

gabboon
07-13-2008, 01:40 PM
That is a ton of saw whets!!!

no, they only weigh about 3.5 ounces. Not even a quarter ton.

tony123abc
07-13-2008, 04:38 PM
Those are some very cute critters.

Iamtheweasel
07-14-2008, 04:42 PM
At a banding station in MN, a bander was telling me that at some points during the migration, so many saw whets would be in the nets that they would have to stack them on the shelves until they had time to band them.

redtailflyer
07-14-2008, 10:58 PM
no, they only weigh about 3.5 ounces. Not even a quarter ton. i meant it sarcasticly lol!!!

gabboon
07-15-2008, 01:00 AM
At a banding station in MN, a bander was telling me that at some points during the migration, so many saw whets would be in the nets that they would have to stack them on the shelves until they had time to band them.

that does happen. I had a night last Fall when 70 were netted. That was huge for my location. Fortunately I had help that night. I was actually taking the night off but the weather seemed right so I decided to sleep there "just in case". I think I woke up about 1am and asked how many. Answer was something like "28, I don't know, a lot." I woke up real quick.

Some sites have had a couple hundred in a night.

Does keep you busy and you finish up with sore fingers.

There are at least 35 saw-whet owls visible in the photo, there may be up to 16 more in the boxes and other bags out of sight. We keep them in mesh bags so they can't hurt themselves and they won't overheat. Overheating can be a problem in this species.

http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z173/gabboon/owls/IMG_5986.jpg

and here is a comparison of a saw-whet to a screech owl.

http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z173/gabboon/owls/IMG_5853.jpg

redtailflyer
07-15-2008, 06:12 PM
i want to rehab raptors eventually! keep up the good work jessica!