As I write, we are waiting for the announcement of the date for River ‘S’ Unit to be open during the week again. It’s almost painful to wait. You will be seeing some of the contact station volunteers returning to the weekday duties. Some things to keep in mind when you visit; with the mild winter, we are already seeing snakes on the road, coming out of their dens to warm. Make sure the stick you are about to drive over isn’t a snake. Also, the wildlife is used to having the refuge to itself lately, so be aware the animals might not be as used to you anymore. Our habitat specialist said the deer born this last year are bouncing around like new puppies right now.
Our owls haven’t been as visible of late, but there is a pair beyond the Kiwa Trailhead. This is
my favorite pair of very dark owls. By the time we open for weekday visits, it is likely (we hope) the female will be sitting eggs, so she might not be visible. The male will visit her with food at night as she won’t leave the nest. They were both out together on the 17th, so the 30 to 37-day incubation after laying will probably start before the end of the month. Meanwhile, our Bald Eagles have been singing love songs to each other for the last month. Give me some slack, it is still February as I write. Keep your eye on the nest site along Lake River on the far side where our road turns up along the dike.
The Short-eared Owl has been spotted in the last month or so. Last year it spent the daytime sitting in the long grasses between #11 and #12 along the dike. However, with all the rain, the water is very high, so they are probably out along the edges of the fields on higher ground. If you get to the refuge when the gates open or stay with just enough time to get out of the gates at night, you could see them hunting the fields along the last part of the drive.
We get a lot of questions about Short-eared Owl, Asio flammeus, vs Northern Harrier, Circus cyaneus. Some of the confusion probably comes from the way they hunt. Both move back and forth over the fields, flying low to spot and listen for critters in the brush. The harrier, because of its facial discs, looks owlish, which can be confusing. Both birds are mostly shades of brown except the adult male harrier, or Gray Ghost as he is called, which is a beautiful silvery gray, black and white, although we see few of those.
There are ways to distinguish them. The Northern Harrier is a day hunter. If you can see its backside as it glides over the fields, you can likely pick up on the fist-sized, well-defined white rump patch, a definitive characteristic of the harrier. Pale as the dead prairie grass or winter marsh as it flies, as one writer described the owl, it is often hard to see when roosting. I don’t know how many times I passed the roosting owl last year before I found it in the color matching long grass. And it is lighter overall than the harriers, where the younger harriers will have a lot of rufous coloring and the females are darker brown. When the Short-eared Owl is gliding over fields, it is often described as moth-like in its movements, which are buoyant and erratic, holding its wings in a slight dihedral. In wingspan, length and weight, the
harrier is slightly larger than the owl in all respects. Looking at the head of a sitting bird, the owl has a no-neck, big round-head feel to it, while the harrier has defined “shoulders”. Both hunt for mice and voles. Interestingly, it is reported that the owl is usually the winner in occasional dogfights over hunting areas as the owl is nimbler and more buoyant, while the harrier is not above pirating a catch from the owl when it can. Both birds can be found sitting on the ground or perching in small bushes or trees. We have a few more weeks to enjoy these wonderful hunters together. Take some time to watch them over the open fields.
* For an image of a Short-eared Owl and Northern Harrier together, check out this article from the National Audubon Society, outlining 12 Fascinating Behaviors found in the 2019 Audubon Photography Awards. Scroll to the 7th photo, by Scott Carpenter, under the heading “Shift Change.”
**Edit- The River ‘S’ Auto Tour will return to 7-day operation, dawn to dusk, starting Monday, March 2nd. Keep an eye out for small closures as the final pieces of this project fall into place. Hours can be found updated regularly here. Thank you for your support and patience while we improve your visits and the safety of all our guests!
-Susan Setterberg, Contact Station Volunteer
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