05/12/12 PTZ down again cause I need to get up there with soldering iron to fix a bad connection that was only working cause I pushed on it a bit the other night until it did. But this is unreliable as evidenced by the fact that it’s not working again. Hauling out a looooooong… extension cord and climbing up there w/ my soldering stuff, etc to do this is much easier than bringing the whole set up to the bench but still involves some effort. In any case will try to do tomorrow. In meantime, thanks for your patience. Pete

05/09/12 If you liked to see some Red-shouldered Hawk chicks up close and participate in banding them I finally was able to set a date: this Sunday afternoon, 5/13. Sorry for short notice but one doesn’t always get a lot of lead time during spring when so much is going on.  Details are here: Red-shouldered Hawk Banding at Starr Ranch Pete Addendum: Since a few have asked, if I can find the time to get out on the Ranch and scout some more nests I might be able to offer more banding opportunities at later dates. Could be some Cooper’s Hawks and a few late Red-Shouldered hawks or White -tailed Kites. If so, I will post here and on FB.

I’ll be sending emails to those who haven’t seen the recap and/or fulfilled their pledge yet, but if you remember how much you pledged/species simply go to this link 2012 Starr Ranch Birdathon Recap and Species List and it should be straight forward what to do (and it will also be one less email I have to send!) Thanks!!! Pete

05/07/12 While the cavity is empty I figured I’d provide another nest to watch. So during the day the left cam will be on a House Finch (5 eggs) that built a nest where we normally have had Pacific Slope Flycatchers nest. Rest assured I will put the cavity view back up in the evening (and hopefully get the PTZ cam fixed soon as well).  Also, the Birdathon recap and species list link will be posted here by the end of the day.  I’m just doing some final editing.  Pete

05/05/12 Hmmmmm… a little bird told me that some are wondering how to make their Birdathon pledge donation. Was thinking that when I posted the write up tomorrow or Monday I’d include a link where you can do this if you want to use a credit card (quite frankly this is preferred cause it’s a lot less admin for me than a check). However, if you want to send a check, that’s totally fine. In the meantime, for those who are chomping at the bit, you can satisfy your pledge with a c-card or get the details about sending a check by clicking HERE. The amount is your pledge X 140. I’ll see if you do this and it will save me sending you a reminder. After a few days I’ll send an email reminder to those who may not have seen this post.

T-shirts will be sent within two weeks – am awaiting a new order which should be here shortly. BTW, the 140 species “guess” winner of a SR T-shirt was “rufus” from Minnesota. Congratulations!

But most important, THANK YOU! I cannot put in words other than “thanks” how meaningful your support has been to Starr Ranch (and me). Pete

05/05/12 Sorry for the delay in posting the Birdathon species list and write up of the day. Got the write up from Ed on Wednesday and then the rest of the week blew by prepping for “Family Nature Workshops” we had here today for approximately 150 people. Will try to post it tomorrow and if not, for sure on Monday. I’ll also try to get the BNOW PTZ cam fixed quickly.  From recent comments it appears there might be two adults making more frequent visits.  Would be great to be able to read their bands.  Pete

04/30/12 Thanks to all who pledged or gave outright to the Starr Ranch Birdathon last Saturday! Ed will be writing up how the day went and I will post this and the species list by Wednesday or Thursday. Preliminary tally is that we saw/heard 140 species – a new Starr Ranch record! Also, I say “preliminary” because it’s not uncommon as Ed and I go over the day in our heads to come up with a species or two that we didn’t record. In any case, look here for the link to the Birdathon results in a few days.

On another note, as most have seen from the comments the BNOW cavity is currently vacant most of the time. This is normal as fledglings disperse and adults “regroup” and possibly prepare for another clutch. But I believe there are some comments and pics that indicate either fledglings or adults have been briefly seen more recently in the cavity. I will try to get the PTZ cam fixed soon so we may be able to read some bands and tell who’s who and perhaps get a sense of whether the adult female has found a new mate. So stay tuned… Pete

04/27/12 The Starr Ranch Birdathon is just hours away from starting! I’m hoping to reach $100/species pledged before we start. We’re currently at $93.45/species! THANK YOU! Again, any pledge amount/species is appreciated. So, if you can help out, just click HERE. There’s also a place on the pledge page if you’d like to contribute a flat amount. And don’t forget that you can follow us during the day on Twitter where we’ll be posting highlights as the day progresses. You can get to our Twitter page and then follow us by clicking HERE. Thanks! Pete

04/25/12 Just a note that if you want to keep up with how we’re doing on our upcoming Birdathon click HERE to get to our Twitter page and then follow us. We’ll be tweeting throughout the day about the birds we see and other interesting observations. The Birdathon is this Saturday – just 3 days away!  But there’s still time to get a pledge in if you can! You can pledge any amount HERE. No amount is too small and is appreciated. Thanks. Pete

04/21/12 Am back from MI and as soon as I get time will post some pics of the Osprey project I was working on. Also will try to make time to fix the right PTZ cam. In the meantime, yesterday I noticed the Black-chinned Hummingbird had returned to last year’s nest (I assume it’s same female as last year), fixed it up, and as of this AM laid her second egg. So until I get the PTZ fixed and the BCHU page revised, the right cam will be on her. Last, the Starr Ranch Birdathon is next Saturday. We’re at $67.65 in pledges. If you can, please help us reach our goal!  Thanks.  Pete

04/12/12 Right PTZ is out due to what appears to be a hardware/wiring problem either at the cam or somewhere that I can’t quickly get at to fix. And of course…perfect timing: I’m leaving for MI tomorrow at 5AM to work on Ospreys. So I’m sorry but not much I can do before then. But will be on it as soon as I get back.  Pete

04/10/12 We recently passed our first 2012 Starr Ranch Birdathon Milestone: $50+ per species pledged! Thank you! Please help us get to the next one: $100. Thanks.  Pete

03/26/12 2012 Starr Ranch Birdathon – April 28, 2012. I believe most of you know by now that to keep everything going at Starr Ranch we need to raise a lot of funds every year. I also hope you feel I haven’t been asking very often for your support. However, our annual Birdathon is a way for us to potentially raise a lot of money by having a lot of people donate a little bit each and I’m asking you now to think about helping us out. Click here to see how our Birdathon works and how you can provide your support  – and even get a Starr Ranch T-shirt. There’s also a way for you take a guess at how many species of birds we will see or hear and win a Starr Ranch T-Shirt (No pledge required). And if you want to go with us for a great day of birding, you can do that too! Thanks. Pete

03/25/12 Prey not fully swallowed and appearing lodged… Remember these are BNOWs, not people. Happens all the time and 99.9999999999999999% of the time is of no consequence and it resolves itself. So no need to be overly concerned when you see this. It’s actually quite common. Also, every one of these chicks is now capable of reaching up to their beak and grabbing prey with a talon and pulling it out if they need to. Not trying to do so is a very good indication that it’s not a problem for it. Pete

03/24/12 Important behavioral concept Don’t confuse incessant begging with the notion that they are “starving”, or even that hungry. A chick that just fed will minutes later start begging. Probably because they don’t know if/when/where their next meal will come from so why not put out a reminder to adults (in this case the female)?

These chicks are doing great and any comments right now that they’re “starving” are unsupportable. BTW, not a half hour after I left the ground squirrel tonight there was a chick still feeding on it and the rest just standing around. Starving – no, HUNGRY raptors – don’t stand around if there’s food right there for the taking. Even if they have to jockey for position to get some they would be on it for as much as they can get if they were really that hungry. Pete

03/23/12 When these cams go down – It’s not because I shut them down – it’s server issues that I have no control over and it spontaneously happens. And when they do go down and, more important, as soon as I know they’re down, I fix ASAP. I have no reason to shut down the cams so you don’t see what’s going on because it’s gonna happen whether we’re watching or not.
Regarding #5, you all need to understand something – As much as you’ve become attached to it its ultimate welfare is out of my control. When it took off from the cavity for the first time yesterday it became “on its own.” If it comes back (or maybe came back) tonight is all about what they do and and there’s nothing I can, or would try to do, to change that. Looking for a #5 is less than impossible. These are wild birds doing what they do.
And this is not a zoo. Do not forget that. You are watching wild stuff, albeit I’ve been feeding them – which still troubles me a lot that I did. But it’s still wild BNOWs doing what they do. Please just try watching, learning, and not worrying so much. They don’t live by our standards and I can assure you they aren’t worrying like some of you might be. They’re BNOWs and are good at what they do. And let me say again – most of these fledglings will not make it eventually. That’s the way it’s worked for thousands of years yet they’re still here. I actually find it a little bit troubling that so much focus is on one or two individuals in this nest when all of us have destroyed habitat that supported thousands more of them. Meaning I don’t think it’s OK to be so concerned about one or two when at the end of the day we’re responsible for the loss of so many more, even if indirectly and unintentional. Think hard about what I’m talking about before you fire off a comment to the contrary. I totally get and accept the emotional part of all this. But there’s something bigger that needs to be part of the equation. Pete

03/23/12 A note on Cavity use after fledging: There is no set pattern of behavior that determines whether any/all of the fledglings will return to the cavity after they’ve taken flight for the first time. They may come back every night, stay out a few nights and then come back again, or fledge and never return. If anything, the process is more random with fewer and fewer returning as time goes by until none return.  And then typical the adults return to roost or have another clutch.
I believe when #1 first left it didn’t return the same day or for several days and now it has. From what you’ve all posted it appears #5 took its “maiden voyage” last night and didn’t return. This happens and doesn’t mean something happened to it (although this is not a remote possibility). In any case I’m quite certain that even though it still had a downy breast, its wing feathers were well developed and when it took off could fly. It’s not at all common for them to leave the cavity until they can fly, especially this cavity because getting to a perch outside the cavity would require the ability to fly – there’s nothing really that close that they could hop to. So let’s just wait and see what happens. However, you should know that there’s nothing I can really do to accurately survey after dark about who’s in and who’s out by trying to pinpoint different begging locations and doing a head count. As I mentioned the other day in a comment, there are two other active BNOW cavities very close by with chicks either begging from the cavity or that have fledged and are begging in the vicinity. So there’s no way for me to know who’s who, even if I was able to isolate the location of 5 different owls. Pete
03/16/12 Dr. Scott Weldy examined the Male BNOW. Unfortunately, his insides were too deteriorated for any analysis. Also there were no obvious signs of broken bones or other trauma. So, we will never know why he died. But just a reminder that the cause was more likely to be “natural” rather than poison, disease or something else uncommon. Again, on a relative scale these birds do not normally live a long time – the banding record that’s held for decades is 15 and we know he was at least 9. Pete
02/09/12 A note on fledging:
While BNOW typically fledge around 8 weeks the key word is “typically”. There is no set time and the female does not, and doesn’t need to, “coax” them to take their first flight. They will fly when they are ready to fly and not before. There’s also no upside for them to leave the cavity. They are getting fed there every night, right? So why leave?
So let’s just keep watching and learning and not get too caught up in when they may or may not take first flight. They will, in time, do so. But when they do has nothing to do with what we think should happen and when. We need not be concerned about this at all. It will happen when it happens. Pete
02/09/12 Some points on commenting on this site:
- Any off topic, rude, vulgar, etc. comments will be deleted without explanation. Repeat offenders will be blocked to the best of my ability. The criteria for what I’ll delete will be much like the US Supreme Court Justice Stewart described for pornography: “I know it when I see it.”
- If you post a comment and I write to you privately about it but your email address is invalid you will be immediately blocked from this site.
- No need to email me about off topic/offensive comments. It may take time but I will deal with them. In the meantime, DO NOT REPLY to them, just ignore them. As you might expect, a reply is just what the offender is looking for.
- Think very hard about your comments before submitting them. Most important, make sure that what you want to say is worth saying. Over use of “texting shorthand” is not a good idea.  Check your spelling and make sure your tone is such that if someone said the same thing to you it would be OK. Also, no need to follow up with another comment correcting typo’s. Unless it changed the meaning of what you wanted to say, let it go. We all will get what you meant.
- This is not a chat site. If you post a question or comment expecting an instant reply it’s not likely to happen. So please refrain from frequent reloading of the page looking for one. Give it some time and in the meantime enjoy watching the owls. Frequent reloading of pages is taxing the CPU time allotment for this site to such a high degree that the chances of me having to shut down comments is no longer remote. It will also cause me more problems and expense looking for a web host that can handle such usage.

Thanks. Pete

02/06/12 A note on the Male BNOW: In what I would describe as almost an impossibility or at least up against astronomical odds (and I think most biologists would agree) last Friday, 2/3/12, the male BNOW was found dead by Sandy’s field crew 0.6 miles north of the cavity in the corner of a grassland next to a small oak canyon. He was completely intact and appeared to have been dead for 2 or 3 days. Yet he’s been gone for approximately 2 weeks. What was he doing/what was happening to him during this time? A quick examine indicated no broken bones and no usual signs of starvation, such as diminished breast muscle causing a prominent keel. However, he is in the freezer and perhaps Dr. Scott Weldy from the OC Bird of Prey Ctr/Serrano Animal and Bird Hospital might be able to determine cause of death through some tests and necropsy. I believe it may be possible to test for anticoagulants that might have been picked up should the male have eaten a poisoned rodent (Note – no pesticides or herbicides are used anywhere on Starr Ranch but we are close by areas that do). It’s also possible that it might have been West Nile Virus, but I’ve been told that this is difficult to test for after the bird has been dead for as long as he was. Also, it just might have been old age. The Bird Banding Lab record for the oldest wild BNOW is 15 with 2nd and 3rd “place” belonging to BNOWs btw 12-13. This male was banded in 2006 at at least 3 yrs of age so he was 9 and could have easily been older. Bottom line is the male is confirmed dead and at this point from unknown cause(s)

A note on Fostering. The search continues for another cavity to foster some if not all of these chicks. Others and I have not given up, but this effort is very time consuming and often requires travel to remote areas that in some cases are now even less accessible because of road damage caused by flooding in Dec 2010. Nonetheless, we will press on. But I feel the need to raise something in hopes that it will better prepare you if we should be fortunate enough to find an appropriate foster nest. If we do the chances are greatest that the smallest chick(s) will be fostered. This means they will be removed from this cavity and you will not see them again. But more important it means they will have been given a much greater chance at survival than they have now. The supplemental feeding will continue, but as I’ve mentioned numerous times chicks require supplemental feeding by the adults for weeks after they fledge and it isn’t a given that continuing to put food in the cavity will get used at this point. Pete

01/26/12 A note on feeding. Almost immediately after I left food in the cavity last night the female returned and began feeding chicks. I think a few of you may have recorded this. It was an excellent opportunity to observe how feeding works. If you watch(ed) for any length of time you will quickly see that the female tears up prey and offers it, but not to any individual chick. And the closest, most aggressive, nimble, whatever-you-want-to-call-them chick grabs it. I have never seen her, or any other raptor, specifically feed an individual chick. HOWEVER, it can sometimes appear like they feed select individuals for two key reasons. 1) There’s enough prey to feed all chicks to satiation and 2) the chicks that ate first – and well – are less inclined to feed any more and simply stop and the ones still hungry are more able to easily get something. Pete

01/23/12 For those who have contacted the Serrano Animal and Bird Hospital/OC Bird of Prey Center please know that Starr Ranch has had a relationship with them and other professional raptor biologists for more than 20 years where together we’re doing as much as we can for raptors and raptor habitat protection. Here’s what SA+BH has to say about the current situation and I agree with their assessment:

“At present, we [Starr Ranch] are trying to provide adequate food for the remaining parent to feed the babies (not an easy feat since the nest is not readily accessible and the weather has been rough here) while field biologists are searching for nests with similar aged babies to foster. Hopefully, some of the babies will survive long enough to be transferred into an appropriate nest and fledge normally with foster parents. Removing and hand rearing the babies is not a viable option, since the babies will most likely become permanently imprinted (socialized to people) and non-releasable. They would then have to be found legal and proper housing for the rest of their lives (which can be more than 1 or 2 decades).”

I, along with several other field biologists, have already been working very hard to find another BNOW nest where some if not all of these chicks can be fostered. However, keep in mind that if we are fortunate to find a nest it cannot be one that already has a full clutch of even 4 – adding 4-5 more chicks to that would place the survival of all chicks in jeopardy.

I would like to ask that we all try to confine our comments to observations and that opinions and chat about what should be done be held. I think you all know by now that I don’t censor many comments at all on this site and I’m reluctant to start. As long as comments are respectful of others and contribute to our knowledge and understanding of these BNOWs, they’ll be allowed.

Last, the supplemental food I’ve provided these last two nights is something I’m extremely reluctant to do, notwithstanding it’s not that easy to do. Those who have been watching for the last few years know that I have said numerous times that I would not intervene – the only difference between this nest and ten’s of thousands of other nests is that we get to watch. And in this case we’re seeing what can happen when things don’t go as smoothly as we would like them to; the key word here is “we”. BNOWs and all other wildlife routinely deal with these kinds of scenarios and get though them just fine – even when death is part of the equation. I would also add that there’s a distinction between intervention and interaction. When I clean a lens, band the chicks, etc. I’m interacting with them in a way that is known to be nothing more than a short change in their routine that has no lasting affect on their overall behavior. Intervention, such as supplemental feeding, changes the outcome of their lives and affects not only them but other BNOWs and wildlife in the area. Please take a moment to consider that the death of an individual chick, and adult, or an entire clutch just might be what’s supposed to happen as part of the bigger picture.

Thanks you all for your comments, even when at times we might not agree. And those choosing to support us, an additional thanks. I’m really trying to do the best I can. Pete