Owls and Their Friends
The temperature was in the thirties as we arrived at Howard Collier Scenic River Area to begin an Owl Prowl with Tim Bartlett, naturalist, a nationally recognized authority on birds, and biology teacher at Columbian High School.
The new moon had just gone down and it was quite dark. We traveled into the woods by starlight with an occasional blink of a flashlight to show when our trail was interrupted by stairways and roots. By the time we reached the base of the wooded hill, our eyes had become accustomed to the darkness, and we stood still on a broad platform and listened. Never have thirty-seven people been so quiet. Not a sound was heard from the woods. We couldn’t even hear trains.
Then, after several watchful moments, Tom played a tape of barred owls. He told us it was important to call in smaller owls like the barred owls and screech owls first. If the sounds of great horned owls were heard in the woods, none of the smaller owls would come because they feared they might become dinner for a great horned.
Tom’s calls went out several times more. It sounded like an owl Halloween party with owls answering each other. We listened and heard nothing. Then, Tom flashed a spotlight on the trees around us and there about 20 feet away, high in a tree, was a barred owl. Evidently, he flew in to investigate before making a sound. It allowed us to observe it for about 15 minutes, famously turning its head around to the back and facing forward several times. Then, silently, silently, it flew off through the woods.
The stars shown brightly through the bare trees, and it was a mystical moment as we felt the quiet of the woods seep into our beings.
We silently climbed the stairs holding hands and clutching the handrails in the dark. At the top of the hill in the parking lot, we heard the hoohoo - hoohoooaw of the barred owl in the woods.
Tom told us that the barred owl is common in wood lots in Seneca County and its call is familiar to farm families. The high, descending quavering trill of the screech owl can be heard in town. We have heard screech owls and barred owls at our house, but this is only the second time I have ever seen an owl.
Tom cautioned that owl-lovers should not call owls in during nesting season, as they might leave their eggs and allow them to get too cold. Great horned owls begin nesting in January, barred owls in February and screech owls in March.
Tom Bartlett has been a biology teacher at Columbian High School for 9 years. He has been the leading advocate for establishing our own Seneca County Park District. We are fortunate that this native of northern Maine came to Heidelberg and stayed on to teach in the area. Hunting, fishing camping and hiking Mt. Katahdin were part of his life growing up. He pursued an Interdepartmental Studies major at Heidelberg, combining religion, psychology, and American studies with biology. Professor Howard Hintz sparked his interest in birding and just about everything else in nature.
He is a member of the North American Banding Council and is one of less than a hundred members who are certified to train banders. Enthusiasts who band birds use a mist net of fine nylon about ten feet high and forty feet wide stretched between two bushes to catch the birds without hurting them. The birds are gently held while the banders determine their sex, approximate age and place a light-weight aluminum band around their leg. Each band has a 9 or 10 digit number on it which is unique for that particular bird.
Last Sunday Tom caught a tufted titmouse that he had banded in1994. He has caught some birds that are more than ten years old. All of the bird-banding data is sent to a central information bank in Washington, D. C. Thus he was able to learn that a fox sparrow he banded in 1988 was caught in 1992 in Churchill, Manitoba near the Arctic Circle.
Tom has traveled to many places to follow his interest, among them are Costa Rica, England, Canada, and the Dry Tortugas off the coast of Florida. His life bird list includes 630 in the United States and over a 1,000 world-wide.
Tom and the volunteer program coordinator, Linda Rose, were very pleased that so many people, 350, came out to the Garlo Heritage Nature Preserve for its grand opening. The ceremonies honored the Garlo family for their donation of their farm and the foresight they have shown through the years in preserving open natural spaces. Dolly and Alma, now married, came and told of the history of the site. They were presented plaques made out of weathered wood from one of the farm buildings. The plaques, in the shape of a bluebird house, honored their contribution to the Seneca County Park District. Mike Wheatley and Dan Mason also received plaques for their contributions.
The next scheduled event on the Seneca Park District’s calendar is Monday, Nov. 6th at 6:30 PM at the Public Safety Building at the Seneca County Fair Ground, ages 12 to 36 months with an adult. Learn about bears. Registration required. Call 435-3915. Furry Friends is the topic for ages 3 to 5, November 9th and for ages 6 and older on November 15th, both at the Public Safety Building. The next hike is scheduled for November 18 at 9:00AM at Schekelhoff Nature Preserve located on Water Street near the bend, past the Water Pollution Control Center.
The website for the Seneca County Park District is www.scpd.8m.com and their email address is secoparks@yahoo.com.
– Mary