[EBB Sightings] Byron Hot Springs owls

On Saturday morning about 9:15, I arrived at the Byron Hot Springs Road location just south of the Holey Road intersection. A coyote was crossing the road. I found at least 3 short-eared owls including one on a fence post near the road and two others working the field. A male Northern Harrier also joined in the hunt and two white-tailed kites sat on a fence in the distance. There were also two burrowing owls in the field on the left side as the road veers right. I stayed in the area for at least half an hour, at which time the owls seemed to disappear. From Dave Quady's report and others, it seems that they come and go throughout the day at various hours. 
 
Clark Stanton
San Rafael

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Message: 1
Date: Sat, 27 Jan 2007 13:01:17 -0800
From: Dave Quady 
Subject: [EBB Sightings] Short-eared Owls continue near Byron;  also
        intriguing bird sound
To: East Bay Birds 
Message-ID: <762b8c31bd57e69a65bfa53bf41de061 at att.net>
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Birders:

Encouraged by reports from Clark Stanton and Art Edwards, I tried again
yesterday for the Short-eared Owls that Kathy Robertson found on
January 15.  (On January 19 I had tried between about 5:30 and 6:00 pm,
but found only two Burrowing Owls and, later, two Barn Owls.)

I arrived at 10:00 am yesterday, and soon saw at least three
Short-eared Owls, two Northern Harriers, and three White-tailed Kites
hunting the fields in question.  A birder already there (don't know
what time she arrived) said they were hunting when she arrived. 
Activity continued until near 11:00, then slacked off, and I left.  I
saw no obvious prey captures by any of the raptors, and no
inter-specific action.  A grazed field next to the raptors' hunting
fields held two Burrowing Owls and one Long-billed Curlew, and an adult
Ferruginous Hawk was beyond the right turn on Byron Hot Springs Road.

Very near the Holey Road/Byron Hot Springs Road intersection, I twice
heard a series of 5-10 low "hoo" or "coo" notes, delivered slowly, on
the same pitch, and at a uniform pace.  The sounds reminded me most of
Greater Roadrunner (which seemed improbable at that location), except
that its "song" often (always?) ends with the notes trailing off in
pace and pitch.  I looked for a vocalizing bird, but saw none.  What I
heard doesn't fit with any dove/pigeon or owl vocalization that I know
of.  If anyone hears the same sound or, better yet, identifies the bird
that made it, I'd be glad to hear about it.

Here are Kathy's directions: "The birds were all seen in a fenced area
which is signed as "Byron Airport Habitat Protection Area". To get
there, turn off the Byron Highway onto Holey Rd., then turn left on
Byron Hot Springs Rd. The SEOWs were in the field on the right (west)
side, from the intersection down to the first sharp right turn (later,
I had one perched along the road just past the turn)."

Dave Quady
Berkeley, California
davequady at att.net



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