I had contacted someone last week about the CLNP to give those owls a good buffer by roping off ASAP..at least 30 feet but the person I spoke too believes roping the area off has no merit.. the owls move. I was just there to see the area for myself and I see well worn areas where the owls must have stayed put. I plan to follow up Monday with your findings and my photos. Simple signs and rope could be significant. Its a shame someone hadn’t suggested roping or tape earlier. On Sat, Jan 20, 2018 at 1:33 PM Haans Petruschke <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Hi, > > The little Northern Saw-whet Owls have been very reliable in the same > location for weeks at CLNP, but are not there today. Examination of the > roost site showed that the tangle had been trimmed with a clipper all the > way back to where one of the little owls would sit. Of course the owl is > no longer there. > > These owls showed remarkable fidelity to this location and tolerance to > close approach by humans which is typical if they are in a protected > location. Cutting the tangle eliminated the protective aspect of the roost > and so the little owls are gone. > > I was not present when the cutting was done and do not know the reason. > Anything I might suggest would be speculative and so I refuse to speculate > for the reason or motive for the disturbance. > > This was great while it lasted, and it is too bad the site was disturbed in > such a gross manner. The fidelity to this site over such a long period > provides good evidence of how tolerant owls can be to human presence so > long as we do not go too far. > > How far is too far? Cutting stuff certainly. Also touching the bird. I > have found that having loud groups taken to see roosting owls also results > in them leaving an otherwise reliable roost. But as Roger Tory Peterson > noted so long ago, Owls can otherwise be ridiculously tame and > approachable. No different than Warblers or Chickadees in the right > situation. > > Haans > > ______________________________________________________________________ > > Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. > Please consider joining our Society, at > www.ohiobirds.org/site/membership.php. > Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. > > > You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: > listserv.miamioh.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS > Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask] > ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Please consider joining our Society, at www.ohiobirds.org/site/membership.php. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: listserv.miamioh.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]