Turkeys & Burdock

[Fred Schueler]

On 3/5/2013 6:21 PM, Ron Wilson wrote [on NatureNB]:

> This weekend while snowmobiling with friends in Woodstock I did see
> and hear one Turkey. My friend said the day before he had seen a
> flock of 15 take flight in his field.
> We stopped in different areas to observe clusters of turkey
> tracks mostly at forest edges and in corn fields. Interesting to us
> was that areas containing Burdock plants were stripped bare clean of
> the round seed heads and what remained were mats or clumps of the
> prickly outer casings- all seeds removed.

* this is very interesting! Certainly one of the big winter problems
for Turkeys is sources of food above the level of the snow, and here
we've got grain-like seeds held well above the snow. One thinks of
Burdock as being dispersed in its burrs, but the stands which persist
for years may well depend on seed falling to the ground in the spring.
I wonder if Turkeys may not be the reason we had no native Arctium in
North America?

New Brunswickers - As Turkeys become more abundant look for the
diminishment of your big Burdock stands...

Eastern Ontarians - do we have any big multi-year Burdock stands
persisting in areas which Turkeys frequent?

fred.
------------------------------------------------------------
Frederick W. Schueler & Aleta Karstad
Bishops Mills Natural History Centre - http://pinicola.ca/bmnhc.htm
Mudpuppy Night in Oxford Mills - http://pinicola.ca/mudpup1.htm
Daily Paintings - http://karstaddailypaintings.blogspot.com/
South Nation Basin Art & Science Book
http://pinicola.ca/books/SNR_book.htm
RR#2 Bishops Mills, Ontario, Canada K0G 1T0
on the Smiths Falls Limestone Plain 44* 52'N 75* 42'W
(613)258-3107 <bckcdb at istar.ca> http://pinicola.ca/
------------------------------------------------------------

[Aleta Karstad]

This morning, walking south on County Rd 18 from the village of Bishops Mills I heard a Mourning Dove calling, once, I know that some people have the doves at their feeders all winter, but I don't remember hearing them calling at all until spring.

Also, there was a clamour of Blue Jays all through our Cedar woods. There were some rattling calls and one ringing "rain" call as well.

Aleta

[David Seburn]

I was out last night with a friend owling in west Ottawa. Didn't hear any
owls despite listening at a number of good looking spots. Has anyone heard
owls recently?

Dave

[Peter de Wit]

There has been a pair of barred owls near by Petrie island all winter.  However, I've never heard them calling, only viewed during daylight hours.

Peter

On Wed, Mar 6, 2013 at 6:46 AM, David Seburn <david...@sympatico.ca> wrote:

I was out last night with a friend owling in west Ottawa.  Didn't hear any owls despite listening at a number of good looking spots.  Has anyone heard owls recently?

Dave

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[RoseMarie Burke]

Last week I heard the great horned owls calling, but haven't heard them
since. Certainly been plenty of coyotes wailing every night when I take the
dog out for a short walk. The cardinal has been calling, already been some
territory fights in the backyards here. Took the dog to Little Cataraqui
Creek Conservation Area couple days ago, a nuthatch was just chattering
away.

On a side note, on that trip to Little Cat there was a very large flock of
cedar waxwings (200+) in the trees beside the interpretive center, heard
them as soon as I stepped out of the truck. Was kicking myself for not
bringing the binocs, but then as I stood there with the dog a bunch of them
flew down to bushes right nearby where I could get a good look at them.
(People, don't let me leave the house with the binoculars!) After a couple
minutes 2 noisy kids came screaming up the road, the whole flock took off,
the rush of wings was quite the sound.

Rose-Marie, Glenburnie

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[Stew Hamill]

Our Great Horned Owl started calling on Feb 22, as reported here on the
Naturelist. I've heard it once again since, both times just before dawn.
Stew

[Fred Schueler]

* we had one Bubo calling right around the house on 24 Feb
(24h39-24h44, ~0C, overcast), so loudly that it got us out of bed -
but no other auditions of Owls. What we've also been missing this
winter is Coyotes, which we haven't heard from here since 31 October.

[RoseMarie Burke]

What we've also been missing this
> winter is Coyotes, which we haven't heard from here since 31 October.
>
> fred.

We can spare you some, there were two packs howling the other night from
east and west, not to mention all the dogs going nuts and barking in
between.

Rose-Marie

[Bob Olson]

Hi Fred,

When I left your place last night I could hear coyotes calling in the
distance from the south.

Have a great day.
Bob

[Wendt family]

We have a pair of barred owls near home, and they have certainly been
vocalizing. Usually the Who-Cooks... but last night quite a bit of their
screech, which sounds at first a little like the neighbours whistling
for their dog in their peculiar way.

At Dunrobin a couple of weeks ago my daughter was playing fetch with her
dog, throwing a ball in the late afternoon. A winter saw-whet owl took
flights at the ball several times. When the people went inside they left
a bit of cat kibble on the snow, hoping it would attract a rodent for
the owl that night. No news on that.

Steve

--
Wendt family standard email account

[B/P Calder]

Today, there was a pair of turkeys feeding in a small patch of burdock
out near our barn. It's multi-year, but small and persistent. I checked
the seed heads that were on the ground and some were empty, just the
husks. There were many more full seed heads just down on the snow, and I
noticed that one of the turkeys had several stuck to the back feathers.

Peggi Calder
Dunvegan, ON