Alex, The report below may pertain to your question, from Joan Collins on the northern NY bird list (see links to her at end). Although our snowpack depth is low here, the density and hardness are very high, making it difficult for raptors and owls to find and catch prey. There may be other explanations as well... Doug Hardy, Norwich Ellie George also brought up the topic of observing lots of Barred Owls this winter. I am also seeing many Barred Owls – this week, I observed one along Route 28N in Long Lake at 3 p.m. on Jan. 16. It is a bad sign to see Barred Owls hunting along the road or at feeder locations in winter. They are highly territorial and are reluctant to leave their territory even when food sources are low (so they’ll just starve rather than leave). When they have enough food, they are generally hidden in the forest. It seems these winters with low numbers of small mammals are becoming more common. Rehabilitators end up with lots of Barred Owls hit by cars or birds that become weak enough (on the ground) for people to capture. The one that starved outside our Long Lake home 2 years ago literally fell out of the tree dead. Unfortunately, it never became grounded for me to capture it. It is also hard to tell from looking at a Barred Owl that it is starving. When I picked up the dead owl, it felt like a skeleton – all bones – an awful experience. I received many reports that winter from others in Long Lake and Blue Mountain Lake from people with dead Barred Owls in their yards. Ellie pondered the possible reasons for seeing so many Barred Owls – low food sources or over-population. Unlike Snowy Owls, which vary their clutch size based on food availability (3 to 5 when food sources are low, and 7 to 11 when they are high!), Barred Owls almost always have just 2 young (and that is always the number I have observed). Snowy Owls move for food in winter, but also in years when they have had successful nesting seasons with lots more young. When we see lots of Barred Owls along roads and at feeders, it is because they are not finding enough food in the forest. Often, the Barred Owls observed during the day along roads or at feeders are right on the edge of survival. It is best to keep a good distance so they are not disturbed. The Barred Owl that died outside our home became more and more lethargic – roosting in a tree just a few feet from our porch all day. I wish there was some way to provide thousands of mice for all the Barred Owls this winter! Joan Collins President, NYS Ornithological Association Editor, New York Birders Long Lake, NY (315) 244-7127 cell (518) 624-5528 home http://www.adirondackavianexpeditions.com/ http://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian On 1/18/2017 7:29 AM, Alex Medlicott wrote: > To all: Does anyone have an explanation for the unusually high numbers of dead grey raptor-like birds on the side of route 91 between Brattleboro and the Upper Valley? They look like small hawks, but making an firm ID is tough, given our speed and the condition of the bodies. Is there some infectious disease that's making them slow and stupid? Any information would be very interesting. Thanks, Alex Medlicott Piermont, NH > > To post messages, send e-mail to: [log in to unmask] > Set your e-mail application to PLAIN TEXT ONLY to post messages. > To contact the list owner: [log in to unmask] > To unsubscribe: E-mail this command to [log in to unmask] UNSUBSCRIBE UV-Birders > To change your e-mail address: E-mail this command from your old address to: [log in to unmask] CHANGE UV-Birders [new e-mail address] > > Web based archives and subscription management are available at: > http://listserv.dartmouth.edu/Archives/uv-birders.html > -- ***************************************************************** Douglas R. Hardy, Ph.D. phone: 802-649-1829 or Dept. of Geosciences 413-545-0659 Morrill Science Center fax: 413-545-1200 or 802-649-1829 Univ. of Massachusetts e-mail: [log in to unmask] Amherst MA 01003-9297 http://www.geo.umass.edu/climate/doug ***************************************************************** To post messages, send e-mail to: [log in to unmask] Set your e-mail application to PLAIN TEXT ONLY to post messages. To contact the list owner: [log in to unmask] To unsubscribe: E-mail this command to [log in to unmask] UNSUBSCRIBE UV-Birders To change your e-mail address: E-mail this command from your old address to: [log in to unmask] CHANGE UV-Birders [new e-mail address] Web based archives and subscription management are available at: http://listserv.dartmouth.edu/Archives/uv-birders.html