Sportsman’s Corner: Owls give a hoot

Published: 08-17-2023 5:00 PM

By Mike Roche

One recent evening this writer heard the unmistakable call of a Great Horned Owl shatter the silence of the night. It is a sound that never grows old. It has always been an irresistible temptation for me to call back at both Great Horned Owls and Barred Owls when they call. Most times, particularly during mating season or when the young are fledged in mid-summer, a chorus of calls will result as different birds respond. The dogs usually bark as well, joining the chorus.

That got me thinking about these nocturnal predators that have so many interesting adaptations. If you have ever held a Barred Owl in your hand, it is amazing how light they are due to their hollow bones and specialized feathers. The most common owls in New England are the Great Horned, Barred, Eastern Screech, Northern Saw-whet, Snowy, Barn, Short-eared, and Long-eared owls. The ones most frequently found in the North Quabbin Region are the Barred and Great Horned owls.

There are so many interesting owl facts that I will share some—such as the common misconception that because owls have excellent night vision, they’re blind in daylight. That is not the case. Owl pupils can contract in bright light just like ours do. They can dilate and contract the pupil of each eye independently, giving them amazing control over just how much light hits the retina in each eye.

Their silent flight is due to a number of unique wing and feather features that enable them to reduce motion-induced sound. They have large wings in relation to their body mass, which allows them to fly unusually slowly, as slowly as 2MPH. Also, the structure of their feathers serves as a silencer. Comb-like serrations on the leading edge of wing feathers break up the turbulent air that usually creates a swooshing sound. These structures together streamline the air flow and absorb the sound produced.

Owls can turn their heads almost all the way around, but it’s not quite a 360 turn. They can turn their necks 135 degrees in either direction, which gives them 270 degrees of total movement. They have a blood-pooling system that powers their brain and eyes during a dramatic neck twist. An owl’s eyes are so well-developed that they are not balls, but rather tubes that are held into place by a bony structure. This means an owl can only look straight ahead. An owl must turn its head to look side-to-side.

An owl’s ears are placed asymmetrically and are different sizes. This allows them to receive sounds at different times and pinpoint the sound’s exact location. An owl’s flattened face funnels sound to their ears so that they can detect even the slightest noise.

Don’t mess with a Great Horned Owl! Their talons can curl with a force of about 300 pounds per square inch, which is about the same strength as the strongest dog bite. Owls have zygodactyl feet, which means two toes point forward and two toes point backward. This gives owls the ability to crush wounded prey between their talons. In case you did not know, a group of owls is called a parliament.

Article continues after...

Yesterday's Most Read Articles

Petersham to hold Fourth of July parade Friday
Battery energy storage facility proposed for Erving’s Poplar Mountain
Sportsman’s Corner: A student’s Alaska observations
Repairs at Turners Falls dam prompt drawdown
Local officials respond to Healey infrastructure bill
Mass Audubon loses record $25M grant, vows to push on with its conservation efforts along Conn. River

Back in the day, one of the most interesting biology labs was the dissection of an owl pellet. Owls swallow their prey whole and after passing through their digestive system, it is passed in a pellet. You can reconstruct the mammals from the remains. Cool! One final fact, Great Horned Owls are the number one predator of Barred Owls.

All of a sudden, fall is looking us right in the eye. This bird hunter continues to get his hunting dogs ready and now must do some shooting to get himself ready as well. Sporting clays on Sundays at the Petersham Gun Club are a great way to sharpen the eye. My schedule now includes some cardio each day and walking, biking and kayaking have started. It is also time to go over gear and start that checklist of things to do in preparation for hunting season.

The used Franchi Veloce 20-gauge that was purchased at Kittery Trading Post was priced low because of a rust spot on the rib. A search on YouTube to see what rust removal methods were posted resulted in one that stated that the finest steel wool (#0000) when soaked with any oil was the best way to treat rust and not ruin the ‘Bluing,’ which is how nearly all gunmetal is finished. When the method was used on the Franchi, the results were really impressive, and the gun looks great!

It is almost time to start running the dogs in the covers as spring hatches of woodcock and ruffed grouse should be developed to a point that being flushed should not pose a serious risk. Yard work and planted chukkars have gotten Tessie, a little over a year old, to a point where she should be ready to do her job. Laney was really good last year and there is a lot to look forward to when we head to northern New Hampshire in early October.

Mike Roche is a retired teacher who has been involved in conservation and wildlife issues his entire life. He has written the Sportsman’s Corner since 1984 and has served as advisor to the MaharFish’N Game Club, Counselor and Director of the Massachusetts Conservation Camp, former Connecticut Valley District representative on the Massachusetts Fisheries and Wildlife Board, has been a Massachusetts Hunter Education Instructor and is a licensed New York hunting guide. He can be reached at mikeroche3@msn.com.

]]>