GH Owl territories

LionHo

New member
Gonna pose a question for the biologist (don't recall who it was exactly) that had done their thesis on Great Horned Owls and had posted about same maybe a year ago...

Okay, here's the set-up. Yesterday a bunch of local swells attending an SPCA wildlife rehab facility charity benefit released 7 rehabilitated juvie great horned owls. All within an hour of one another, all from the same release point on a local horse ranch. While this spot is obviously prime owl habitat (oak savannah woodlands, lotta mice, and a lotta edges) it's a safe assumption that it's brimming with adult GH owls already.

[Might also mention that these folks bid at auction for the opportunity just to release the owls, paying as much as $10K apiece :eek: Mucho cases of donated local wine being poured]

Q: Occurs to me that the resident GH owls might be more than a little bit territorial. Do you expect these 7 newly released YOY are gonna work it out to find a territory of their own, or are they gonna get killed/ starve to death?

LionHo
 
LionHo, it may have been me, but it wasn't a thesis. Just hard work as an internship. NASA might have more on this, but we always tagged and released our GHO's from the same several locations, fully acknowledging that, as is the case with many common species, any and every place that is capable of supporting a great horn is already doing so. And as is the case come time for fledgelings to fledge and disperse, these releasees will face the same challenges.

Assuming that these birds were reared with proper regard for the problems associated with imprinting, etc., most will probably venture out quite soon and go in search of a place that meets their needs, even though that place might be many miles and many days away.

If they weren't properly reared and are, in fact, socially imprinted, I can all but guarantee that they will stay within earshot of the release site where they will inconveniently forget any prey training that might have been given to them. In a very short matter of time, they'll expire because of any number of stress-related biophenomena.

But, I want to take a moment to address the $10K issue a little more. Even when I worked in rehab many years ago, we constantly questioned the feasability of spending both time and money to rehabilitate a species as common as the great horn when other species were so much more in need of our efforts and funds. I felt then, as I feel now, that by rehabbing a common species and offering the public at large limited access to the process, we were promoting the concept and fostering positive interet in the program in general. John Q Public doesn't really differentiate between a stable species like the GHO and an endangered speices like the condor. Even seeing a GHO up close is a thrill to most "day people". In your case, the nominal cost of feeding these few birds led to a return of $10,000 per bird which are much needed funds that can now be appropriated for expanding other programs concerning species more in need of conservation.

In a "hit you in the head" kinda way, what they did may be a lot like when we'd go out to "rescue" a wounded deer after it was hit by a car. We would tell the nice people that the deer would be fine, it would be saved, and we would leave them with the feeling that they really did something good. In truth, we would drive to the nearest vet center or animal hospital and have the animal put out of its misery. The deer ended up dead, as all deer are want to do, but they didn't know it and they were satisfied. With volunteer groups operating on shoestring budgets, there are times when the preferred end does often justify less than honest means.
 
Lance, sshhh.
Folks aren't supposed to know we don't save all the "babies" and hurt animals. Rats, now folks will come back and want to see how their baby robin is doing a couple of days later..... :eek:

Thanks alot!! :rolleyes:
 
Lance,

I was a rehabber here in Minnesota for a time.

The thing that always got me was all the baby raccoons that folks brought me. They are so thick around here that they are already more than a problem. And, they think I'm going to rehab a baby nest robber? Or a baby skunk? HA HA.

Although I did have a good time with a litter of coyote pups.
 
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