Owl vs. Magpies

[Christine Bastian]

Sitting on my back porch at about six o'clock one of our Western Screech Owls landed on my shed. I had never seen one that early. He looked smaller than the others, maybe young. He was being pursued by 15 or 20 magpies that surrounded him on the roof. My heart sort of stopped and I truly thought I was about to see an attack. Instinctively I stood up and went running toward the shed. Of course that scared the Owl too and he took off. Magpies in pursuit. I hope he stands a chance with that many bigger birds after him. I hope they were just trying to chase him from the area, and weren't going to harm him. Does anyone know the odds of a true attack? Or how the owl might fair? It was a bit terrifying. I have no qualms in saying I prefer owls over magpies. And I'm rooting for him.

~Christine

[Stephanie Greenwood]

You bring up a good question, Christine. I do believe that a flock of magpies could bring down a little owl like that. If not themselves, but also by bringing attention to it. A Great-horned Owl can (and commonly do) take out smaller owls. Eagles and hawks too. Additionally, during breeding season, a mob of corvids, or even some angry chickadees can distract an owl from their nesting duties, thus decreasing the overall survival of the species. That's why owls are so camouflaged. During the day they need rest, and by this camouflage, they are able to do so. A small owl that has been discovered by an angry mob during the day will have less energy to hunt at night, thus also decreasing his survival chances. So there are a lot of factors. That's why, as birders, we need to keep in mind when viewing owls, especially small species, it's best to observe, then get out of there quickly. If you disturb an owl and it flushes, it brings attention to itself and can then be possibly hunted or mobbed. Calling in owls can also be precarious. Last year at the St. George Bird Festival the keynote speaker Chris Balmer talked about this. He specializes in photographing owls and has an amazing body of work. He begged us birders not to call in small owls, as he has seen too many being taken out by Great Horneds when doing so.

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 15, 2013, at 7:27 PM, Christine Bastian <christi...@hotmail.com> wrote:

> Sitting on my back porch at about six o'clock one of our Western Screech Owls landed on my shed. I had never seen one that early. He looked smaller than the others, maybe young. He was being pursued by 15 or 20 magpies that surrounded him on the roof. My heart sort of stopped and I truly thought I was about to see an attack. Instinctively I stood up and went running toward the shed. Of course that scared the Owl too and he took off. Magpies in pursuit. I hope he stands a chance with that many bigger birds after him. I hope they were just trying to chase him from the area, and weren't going to harm him. Does anyone know the odds of a true attack? Or how the owl might fair? It was a bit terrifying. I have no qualms in saying I prefer owls over magpies. And I'm rooting for him.
>
> ~Christine
>
>

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