11-30-12 Bird Field Note by Kate Stone

December 4, 2012

Kate Stone reports on owl pellet collection, locating bullock's oriole nests, and berry filled bear scat.

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After rifle season but prior to winter snowfall, we visited several areas on the property to collect owl pellets.

We saw piles of grouse pellets everywhere. Grouse deposit their pellets in piles; pellets often have a coating of white on one end.

Fall represents a great time to locate Bullock’s oriole nests.

Owls regurgitate the indigestible parts of prey they consume, including feathers, fur, bones, and skulls.

We found pellets of three different species: northern saw-whet owls, long-eared owls, and great horned owls.

We will dry these long-eared owl pellets and add them to our archive of more than 200 owl pellets collected over the past year.

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