Identifier: commonhawksowlso236dixo (find matches)
Title: The common hawks and owls of California from the standpoint of the rancher
Year: 1922 (1920s)
Authors: Dixon, Joseph S. (Joseph Scattergood), 1884-1952
Subjects: Bird pests Agricultural pests Beneficial birds Hawks Owls
Publisher: Berkeley, Calif. : University of California, College of Agriculture, Agricultural Experiment Station
Contributing Library: University of California, Davis Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: University of California, Davis Libraries

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nd magpies are also appropriated by these owls (see fig. 8).At Mono Lake in May, 1916, the writer found six pairs of long-earedowls all nesting in magpie nests. The owls nested earlier than themagpies and apparently had first choice of the old nests available, 12 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT STATION since in nearly every instance a new nest was built nearby by the mag-pies. From 3 to 7 white eggs are laid the last of April or first ofMay (see fig. 9). Both parents are valiant defenders of their nest.In the case of one pair, the female stood boldly on the rim of the nest,fluffed out her feathers, depressed her ear tufts, and glared at theintruder. The male bird flitted about the nest, hooting excitedly andmewing like a cat. As soon as the observer set up his camera andput his head under the focusing cloth, he was taken by surprise bythe male owl, which swooped noiselessly down and started to dancea jig, with his sharp claws working furiously, on the top of thephotographers head.
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Fig. 8.—A brooding long-eared oavI. Note the long ear tufts which give thebird its name. This owl is an excellent mouser and merits the legal protectionthat has been given it. The owlets when hatched were covered with fluffy white thistle-down-like feathers. Ten days later, bluish pin feathers began toappear and the owlets developed tremendous appetites, so that theparents started hunting as soon as the sun was down in order tokeep their hungry youngsters fed. As the owlets grew older theybegan to edge away from the nest, and long before they were ableto fly they hopped about freely from limb to limb in the dense willowthickets (see fig. 10). Mice were abundant on the sandy sage-coveredflats and in the grassy meadows near the owls home. Remains ofwhite-footed, meadow, and pocket mice were found about the nest, butno bird remains were ever discovered there. The long-eared owl livesalmost exclusively on the smaller mice and is therefore one of themost beneficial birds in the state. Ci

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