A Tale of Fluffy Tail Feathers
For those of us lucky enough to live among wildlife, there is a paradoxical relationship that exists for us: we revel in their innocence, beauty, and companionship while witnessing the devastating impacts of urban coexistence. Usually this comes in the form of being in the wrong place [e.g. a road] at the wrong time [e.g. 24/7]. Other times, we come upon a distressed or injured animal without knowing what happened.
Such was the case as I walked my daily neighborhood route and saw a fluff of tail feathers emerging from a large hole about 15 feet up an oak tree. Day after day, the tail feathers stayed stagnant and by week’s end with no movement, I had deduced that an owl had oddly just died face first in that tree cavity.
A few weeks passed and I wondered how long it would take for a scavenger to clean up the carcass or when it would begin to decay enough that it would either fall out or fall in. Meanwhile, I kept searching for answers to what could have caused such an odd positioning. Poison? Natural causes? Old age? I resigned to just not knowing.
Until…
One day, the tail feathers were gone from the cavity. Instead, I saw a large circular face with big black eyes staring at me. I paused and stared just a little too long. Wings flapped, air whooshed, and a nearby tree limb bounced as a barred owl steadied herself on it and continued to shoot daggers at me with her eyes. Emotions flooded: tears of relief and joy, embarrassment at getting it so wrong, adrenaline urging me to move on so as not to upset her. And so I quickly passed her and completed my nightly lap. Then I promptly did another loop to ensure what I had witnessed, this time being quieter and walking on the other side of the street. Indeed, this owl was not dead; she had chosen the tree cavity to nest in.
Barred owls are common in Florida and have a hoot widely known to sound like “who cooks for you.” They typically lay 2-3 eggs, which then take about a month to incubate. After 6 weeks, the owl babies will begin to fledge and hop around their tree and eventually neighboring trees.
While Mom was sitting in the nest, I would occasionally see Dad in a nearby tree as well as find pellets on the sidewalk under the trees. Owl pellets are indigestible parts of their prey - fur, bones, teeth - which are regurgitated post meal.
Eventually, I saw a small round face peaking from the tree cavity. And then one day, I saw two little faces. Mom and Dad were always close by watching them and watching me. Owl parents have been known to do a fly-by of humans who they feel are too close for comfort. I always gave them respect by walking on the opposite side of the street and not staring too long.
Eventually the two babies began to fledge and I would see them hopping around the limbs of their nesting tree. Then after a week, they began to explore nearby trees, Mom and Dad always close by.
The babies are now flying around the neighborhood; I can hear them in my trees at night, their hissing sound unmistakable and echoed by the adult hoots. Hopefully they will survive and return to my neighborhood to nest and raise their own babies in the future.
Barred owls are commonly seen in Florida, but like other wildlife, their habitat is threatened. As more trees are bulldozed for development or hastily removed by homeowners, barred owls may have trouble finding nesting sites. They are also known to nest in dead or dying trees, which are often felled by homeowners and businessowners who view them as unsightly. Lastly, pesticides often prove fatal to owls. A pesticide meant to kill an insect or a mouse will make its way up the food chain and poison the predator who then eats that prey that ingested contaminated food.
So what can we do?
Keep dying/dead trees [called snags] on your property as long as feasible and encourage others to do the same. Woodpeckers also nest in snags.
If you must remove or trim a tree, try to do so after baby bird season has concluded [between June and August in Florida].
Hire qualified, licensed, and educated arborists/tree trimmers to remove/trim trees. Ask them to look for nests before cutting.
There are natural and humane methods to deter insects and mice from your home. Refrain from using rodenticide or pesticides.
Owls, and all wildlife, are beautiful creatures to observe in our neighborhoods. Enjoy watching their circle of life and if you see some fluffy tail feathers in a tree cavity, be careful not to make assumptions.