Wonder and Spice

When preparing to leave the nest, owlets are cute and cuddly-looking with their soft white feathering. Their downy soft exterior, makes them look like a stuffed toy that has come to life.

Their large dark eyes make them appear a bit forlorn, as if they could use a hug. 

However, even if you could, I would not recommend hugging an owlet. Even at this early stage, their talons are impressive. They are also a critical key to their survival. When they fall, their talons enable them to climb back up to the safety of the trees.

I suspect the initial focus on climbing is because there is not much room to exercise their wings, when their nest is inside a tree.  During the first week or so, after leaving the nest, they tumble and fall and often end up in oddly inept positions. I do not remember ever seeing an adult "draped" over a branch like this owlet. Luckily, they learn quickly.

Their sad-looking eyes, set in their fuzzy round heads, are actually one of their secret weapons. They take in so much light that owls only need a faint glimmer to locate their prey. 

The American Bird Conservancy says owl eyes can constitute as much as five percent of their body weight. If a 160 pound human had a similar weight ratio, each eye would weigh about four pounds. For comparison, the average human brain weighs only three pounds. Besides being exceptional light receptors, I wonder if there is information processing, i.e. thinking, done inside an owl's eyes. 

At this very early stage, owlets often move their heads in an exaggerated triangular fashion.. 

Clearly, they are searching and gathering visual information from multiple angles, i.e. polishing and refining their visualization and comprehension, to help develop their hunting skills.

As adults, their hunting skills are crucial for their own survival and also for the survival of their offspring.

By the way, I understand the Urban Raptor Conservancy is close to releasing the their study results regarding the local impact of rodenticides on raptors, like Barred Owls and Cooper's Hawks. You may want to check the website, i.e. Click Here, over the next couple of weeks to learn about the new results.

For the last few months, I have been searching for Barred Owls in hopes of getting a few more photos to compliment these spring photos. 

Last week, while searching for Barred Owls in the Arboretum, I heard a knocking sound similar to this one. I knew it wasn't a Barred Owl. I suspected a Common Raven. 

I am always trying an understand the meaning of avian calls, cries, songs, and sounds. I decided the opportunity was too good to pass up. So, I took a break from my Barred Owl search and starting searching for the Raven.

The Raven was calmly eating an Eastern Gray Squirrel. The squirrel's body looked relatively intact, no obvious pancaking, so I assumed the raven caught it live, as opposed to picking up roadkill.

I was more puzzled than ever about the meaning of the knocking sound. Does it mean "I have food", or could it mean "I am feeling content" or maybe there was something else going on that I totally missed. 

For example, I entertained the idea that perhaps the "Knocking" was a warning that another predator was in the area. However, then I remembered an interaction from earlier this year. I was photographing an adult Raven who was sitting on a branch next to one of its young. Unexpectedly, the Raven leaped off the branch and started calling loudly. I was confused because I had been there for a few minutes and the Raven had not reacted to my presence. Then, the Raven flew to a branch above a parallel trail, downhill from me, and began escorting a Coyote away from the area. The Raven's calls were all loud, strident "Grawks". They were definitely not the soft stress-free "Knocking" sounds.

By the way, Did you notice the size difference between the Squirrel and the Raven? Eastern Gray Squirrels (and American Crows) weight about a pound. A full grown Common Raven can weigh nearly four pounds according to All About Birds.

After few minutes, the Raven lifted its meal and disappeared into the higher branches. With nothing more to see, I continued my search for Barred Owls.

Further to the south, I found a native Douglas Squirrel picking up Cedar of Lebanon cones and hiding them in Sword Ferns. I suspect the squirrel had previously cut the cones free, since these cones normally stay upright on the branch as they slowly fall apart. Apparently, this was the second phase of the operation i.e. recovery and storage.
 

Further south I spotted a Varied Thrush searching for fallen fruit below the trees in the Sorbus collection. Finally, I turned and headed home. At which point, I had essentially given up on the Barred Owls.

Before long, I was surprised to hear a Barred Owl giving its typical "Who Cooks For You?" call. The call came from the northwest. Almost immediately, there was a response from the southwest. These sounded like contact calls, i.e. mated Barred Owls letting each other know their current location.

 

I was in between the two owls and uncertain which way to go. I decided to split the difference and continue heading west. Perhaps one might continue calling more than the other and help me choose whether to turn north or south.

I had not gone far, when three Barred Owls passed in front of me! They were coming from the south and heading northwest. I suspect, given the time of year, that I was seeing one adult and two nearly full-grown young, who were still depending on the parents for food.

Barred Owls only weigh one to two pounds according to All About Birds. (They always seem larger and more impressive than that to me.) This makes them smaller than Ravens but, normally, larger than Crows. 

Neither Ravens or Crows like Barred Owls. However, the response to each, from the Owls, is quite different. 

Crows will harass the Owls mercilessly, and the Owls will often just sit and ignore them, sometimes flinching slightly if the Crows come close. Although, I have seen a Barred Owl eating an overly-confident Crow.

When a Raven comes after a Barred Owl, the Owls don't sit around. They head for safety. For example, an Owl will fly into a dense tree, like a Western Red Cedar, utilizing the thick foliage to discourage the Raven from coming closer.

The three Owls were headed towards the area where I last saw the Raven and also towards the sound of the first Barred Owl call.

One of the Barred Owls stopped in a tree directly in front of me while the other two continued on. I stopped for a few photos and then continued on hoping to find the other two. They easily eluded me, with their silence and camouflage, as I searched among the nearby trees.

Then suddenly they started caterwauling. (Click Here to hear the best example I could find I that was similar to the sound they were making.)

One was perched on the leaning trunk of a Rhododendron.

The other was just overhead on a smaller branch of the same tree-like bush. They quickly quieted down. At the same time, there was a Raven flying around and landing higher up in the surrounding trees. I am uncertain about the meaning of the caterwauling. Was is a warning call to alert the other two Owls? or Were they siblings begging the adult Owls for food?

Soon, the upper Owl became calm enough to begin preening its tail feathers.

However, the lower Owl was not so calm. It flew up and landed on the same branch. Shortly after that they both disappeared. I suspect these two were siblings. For one thing, the first Owl - that I photographed earlier, was still in the same location when I went back to check on it. It was clearly less active and excited, which reminded me of an adult watching well-fed children.

I wish I could understand the meaning behind all of the sounds made by Ravens and Owls. On the other hand, the unanswered mysteries certainly add wonder and spice when visiting the Arboretum.

Have a great day on Union Bay...where nature lives in the city and visitors are welcome!

Sincerely,

Larry

Going Native:

Each of us, who breathes the air, drinks water, and eats food should be helping to protect our environment. Local efforts are most effective and sustainable. Native plants and trees encourage the largest diversity of lifeforms because of their long intertwined history with our local environment and native creatures. Even the microbes in the soil are native to each local landscape. 

I hope we can inspire ourselves, our neighbors, and local businesses to respect native flora and support native wildlife at every opportunity. I have learned that our most logical approach to native trees and plants (in order of priority) should be to:

1) Learn and leave established native flora undisturbed.

2) Remove invasive species and then wait to see if native plants begin to grow without assistance. (When native plants start on their own, then these plants or trees are likely the most appropriate flora for the habitat.)

3) Scatter seeds from nearby native plants in a similar habitat.

4) If you feel you must add a new plant then select a native plant while considering how the plant fits with the specific habitat and understanding the plant's logical place in the normal succession of native plants. 

*************** 

Keystone native plants are an important new idea. Douglas Tallamy, in the book "Nature's Best Hope ", explains that caterpillars supply more energy to birds, particularly young birds in their nests, than any other plant eater. He also mentions that 14% of our native plants, i.e. Keystone Plants, provide food for 90% of our caterpillars. This unique subset of native plants and trees enables critical moths, butterflies, and caterpillars that in turn provide food for the great majority of birds, especially during the breeding season. 

Note: Flowering plants and trees, i.e. those pollinated by bees, are also included as Keystone Plants.

This video explains the native keystone plants very nicely:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5cXccWx030

The Top Keystone Genera in our ecoregion i.e. Plants and trees you might want in your yard: 

Click Here

Additional content available here:

https://wos.org/wos-wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Native-Plant-Resources-10-7-22.pdf

******************

In the area below, I am displaying at least one photo with each post to help challenge us to know the difference between native and non-native lifeforms. 

This time I am asking you to identify the following four decidous plants and choose which ones of these are desirable, native plant(s).

A.

B.

C.

D.

Scroll down for the answer.

******************

A. Bindweed An invasive noxious weed in King County.

B. English Ivy  An invasive noxious weed in King County.

C. Native Blackberry Note the pale bluish green stem and the very small thorns.

D. Himalayan Blackberry  An invasive noxious weed in King County.

*****************

The Email Challenge:

Over the years, I have had many readers tell me that Google is no longer sending them email announcements. As of 2021, Google has discontinued the service.

In response, I have set up my own email list. With each post, I will manually send out an announcement. If you would like to be added to my personal email list please send me an email requesting to be added. Something like:

                Larry, Please add me to your personal email list. 

My email address is:  

                     LDHubbell@comcast.net

Thank you!

*******************

The Comment Challenge:

Another common issue is losing your input while attempting to leave a comment on this blog. Often everything functions fine, however, sometimes people are unable to make it past the robot-detection challenge or maybe it is the lack of a Google account. I am uncertain about the precise issue. Sadly, a person can lose their comment with no recovery recourse. 

Bottom Line: 
If you write a long comment, please, copy it before hitting enter. Then, if the comment function fails to record your information, you can send the comment directly to me using email.

My email address is:  

                     LDHubbell@comcast.net

Sincerely,

Larry

A Parting Shot:

See you later!