An interesting twist to the Paxton's Bush Great Horned Owls

The pair of Great Horned Owls in Paxton's Bush, on the northern edge of the city of Chatham, has had quite a following over the years. Nesting season in particular has had people far and wide out to view them. For example back in 2013, they nested low down in a cavity created by a broken branch of a Black Cherry tree, and people came from as far away as Toronto to photograph them. Here is a photo I took at the time.

They only used that nest for one season. I guess it was too accessible for the large number of people coming to admire them, so the adults moved to a more remote part of the woodlot and in a higher tree stub. Then a couple of years ago, they moved again, closer to the south side of the woodlot. This is a photo of last year's owlets peeking over the top of the nesting stub.

 They were at it again in the same place this year, but not really all that visible yet. This next photo is one I took a few days ago, and the only way to determine that it was occupied by the owls was by looking carefully at this little slash opening near the top of the stub. You can see a few barred feathers of the adult either incubating or tending the young.

I remember commenting to Marie on our visit there last week that the tree stub looked very fragile, and wondered how much longer it would be useful.

We got the answer on Sunday. It was very windy with wind speeds reported at one point as 60 km/hr with gusts in excess of 80 km/hr, and the tree stub came crashing down. This next photo is what it looked like today.

A closer look showed some of the nest contents. The first photo shows some feathers of an American Crow which had become a meal. Interestingly, but not surprisingly, the nest in the cherry tree above had a few crow feathers clinging to the edge of the broken branch cavity. There is no shortage of crows to feast on!

 Right close by was this little rodent, which quite possibly had been delivered to the young owlets before the nest tree came crashing down. The meal went untouched, at least by the owlets. Presumably it will be feasted on by various invertebrates over the next few weeks including maggots (the larvae of flies) and beetles.

Although the destruction of this nest could have had a tragic ending, the quick action of some neighbours has increased the success of the nest considerably. With the help of staff from the Bluewater Centre for Raptor Rehabilitation in Lambton County and others, the youngsters which were approximately two weeks old, were checked over for any injuries, then kept warm until a new nest could be installed later that day.  This next photo shows the new nest, a little higher up and in a nearby tree, a Silver Maple, that is far better condition. The laundry basket is partially filled with pine needles and anchored by two by fours so that it looks fairly sturdy. Apparently while this was going on, the adults were in a nearby tree keeping watch, but never made any attempt at protecting the young or harassing the humans. And shortly after the installation was complete and the owlets deposited in the nest, the female came back. I took this photo today, and it is a lot easier to see the adult on the nest than the previous nest stub which was far too deep. It will be quite entertaining, hopefully, as the owlets grow and become much more visible before they fledge, so stay tuned for more photos as this unfolds.

 And of course the other member of the pair is typically perched fairly high up in a nearby tree, ensuring that the local American Crows and Cooper's Hawks don't become too much of a menace.

A bit more background on this story can be found on this link to The Chatham Voice.

Paxton's Bush Owls and Owlets

Bird migration seems to be in full swing right now but I will interrupt my posts on that topic just to bring folks up to date on what has been happening at Paxton's Bush, here on the north side of Chatham. I wrote about it in my Natural Areas of Chatham-Kent series about a year ago, and you can read some background on this site here.

As has been the case the last few years, the resident pair of Great Horned Owls have nested, this time quite a bit closer to the residential area. Local birders and photographers have been keeping a close eye on this process, and two young birds have been successfully raised. One of the first photos I took of them this year was this next one, with one of the owlets peeking over the top, and a nice glint of the setting sun in its eye.

 One of the adults was always fairly close by to keep an eye on things.

The adults being watchful has been beneficial, to be sure. One day not long ago when I was watching the owls, I heard a loud, intensive chittering. It turned out that the local Cooper's Hawk was in the area, and swooped down almost to the owl's nest. Immediately one of the adult owls came onto the scene, and got between the hawk and the owlets. The light was very poor for photos, so I didn't get much, but this next photo shows the adult Cooper's Hawk in a nearby tree where it was taking a short break before its next attack.

On several occasions the hawk even swooped quite close to the adult owl, and the owl even seemed to flinch. There was never any direct contact that I could tell. The whole process seemed to last about 5 minutes, until the hawk returned to its side of the woodlot. There is a pair of Cooper's Hawks nesting in this woodlot as usual, and it is my speculation that the owls, being a night predator, may have harassed the hawks to some extent, and now the hawk was returning the favour during the daylight hours when the owls were more sedentary. Just a guess, however.

Meanwhile in spite of the drama, the owlets have continued to grow, and at times have sat up right out in the relative open.

And then one day, the oldest owlet decided it was time to venture out, and left the nest for good. Its flight capability, I think, left a lot to be desired, as for a couple of days it was seen on or very near the ground. I expect its first flight was more of a glide and flap rather than an effective flight, and once it was on the ground, it really couldn't get up into the trees where it would be safer.

This next photo shows where we found it. It is with a wide angle lens, so you have to look hard to see it.

A much closer look........

.....and closer still.

These previous photos were taken across the creek from the north side, just 40 metres or so west of the bridge. These next ones were taken on the south side, before crossing the bridge, with the owlet looking back over its shoulder.

The other owlet was still in the nest, and will likely leave very shortly if it hasn't already. The first one eventually found a way to climb up a leaning tree to a much safer height, and as the leaves continue to open, it will be much more difficult to see.

On one occasion just before I had arrived at the owl nest viewing location, I caught a bit of movement out of the corner of my eye. A furry critter was hunkered down under some developing Mayapple. It was a Groundhog.

 A closer look revealed something in its mouth.

 It retreated a bit until I had moved on down the trail a bit, and then it emerged. The thing in its mouth was a young Groundhog.

 It scooted across the trail and headed for another sheltered spot.

After awhile I noticed a Groundhog running along the creek at the edge of the nearby field. I suspect that with all the rain, its initial burrow was flooded, and the adult was moving its young to a higher and drier location. But the new location is a lot closer to the owls, and it is always possible that the owls may end up dining on Groundhog one of these days.

There is at least one pair of Mallards in the woodlot area.

In the last day or so, people have seen an adult Mallard with as many as eight ducklings trailing behind. Most won't survive, and in fact while they are young, might end up in the talons and tummy of the Cooper's Hawk.

Blue Jays seem to be always present.

Typically there are a few warblers, vireos, tanagers and grosbeaks to be found, but that mix of songbirds changes daily as many are stopping for a rest and a few meals to replenish their energy so they can continue their northerly migration.

A parade of wildflowers is present, and over several weeks there will always be something to see.

Hepatica

Trout Lily

Red Trillium

But although the vegetation is constantly changing, the presence of Great Horned Owls is almost a sure thing any time of the year, although most times they are difficult to see.