This winter I reported up to 14 Long-eared Owls were roosting in the banding station woods. The need to keep out of view from both above and below and a need for a horizontal perch keeps their wintering locations to a minimum. When that many large birds roost side-by-side they will eventually be seen by birders and bird predators. In this case a large bobcat has been seen walking in the areas where the owls had a winter roost but what the bobcat doesn’t automatically know is that the Long-eared Owls were only wintering so this one was in for a surprise when it visited the roost. Two bobcats have been seen off-and-on in the banding station net lanes, even during the afternoon like this one.
Winter Reflections from an Apprentice in Texas
In the Texas Panhandle, winter has settled in across the wide, open country. The grasses have gone dormant, the wind carries a sharper edge, and work on the ranch has...
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