Barred Owl Rte GardnerWhile traveling east bound on Rte, in Gardner, today I noticed a dead bird on the side of the road. Upon stopping I discovered it was a Barred Owl. I recall the winter of 2007/2008 was a bad year for road kill Barred Owls. Birders were finding dead birds with a great deal of frequency. I recall in a few days time, during early March 2008, finding 3 along Rte 2 between Westminster and Gardner and seeing another further east, where it was not safe to stop.
a "head on " viewMy three ended up with Natural Heritage and were eventually forwarded to Tufts U. for further study. It seemed likely that winter, there was a major influx of northern birds. My understanding, from speaking with Natural Heritage during a followup conversation, the birds had not staved to dead but likely were hunting near the roads and highways and were struck by traffic. Hopefully this coming season will not be a repeat!
Needle sharp talons!
2 comments:
Lets hope this is the only one you find this winter like this.
Larry, its always bit a sad to find road kill owls...hopefully this'll be the last I find for a while.
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