Birds Archives - Page 62 of 82

September 26, 2013July 13, 2026

Owls: Silent Hunters

Barn owl sleeping in a tree, Photo Copyright 2010 Mike Fish — Barn Owl Sleeping in a Tree
Copyright © 2010 Mike Fish

Great Horned Owl
Photographer: Ronald Laubenstein
US FWS Digital Library

Western Screech Owl
Copyright © 2007 Lu Giddings

Tethered Snowy Owl in Alaska
*Bubo scandiacus*
Courtesy US FWS
Ronald Laubenstein, Photographer
Snowy Owl in Alaska
*Bubo scandiacus*
Courtesy Wikimedia
Floyd Davidson, Photographer
Licensed under the
Creative Commons: GNU Free Documentation License
Snowy Owl with Chick
*Bubo scandiacus*
Courtesy Wikimedia
Tony Hisgett, Photographer
Licensed under the
Creative Commons: Attribution 2.0 Generic License
Snowy Owl in Flight
*Bubo scandiacus*
Courtesy Wikimedia
Bert de Tilly, Photographer
Licensed under the
Creative Commons: Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License

Great Horned Owl Photographer: Ronald Laubenstein US FWS Digital Library — Barn Owl Sleeping in a Tree
Copyright © 2010 Mike Fish

Great Horned Owl
Photographer: Ronald Laubenstein
US FWS Digital Library

Western Screech Owl
Copyright © 2007 Lu Giddings

Tethered Snowy Owl in Alaska
*Bubo scandiacus*
Courtesy US FWS
Ronald Laubenstein, Photographer
Snowy Owl in Alaska
*Bubo scandiacus*
Courtesy Wikimedia
Floyd Davidson, Photographer
Licensed under the
Creative Commons: GNU Free Documentation License
Snowy Owl with Chick
*Bubo scandiacus*
Courtesy Wikimedia
Tony Hisgett, Photographer
Licensed under the
Creative Commons: Attribution 2.0 Generic License
Snowy Owl in Flight
*Bubo scandiacus*
Courtesy Wikimedia
Bert de Tilly, Photographer
Licensed under the
Creative Commons: Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License

Hi, this is Mark Larese-Casanova from the Utah Master Naturalist Program at Utah State University Extension.

Walking across the yard late at night, the crescent moon was casting little light. A dark, phantom shape soared past our heads. It was silent, not making a single noise. It could only be one thing out here in the night- an owl, drifting off into the darkness.

Even though they hunt at night, owls use their vision to find prey. Owl eyes are proportionately large compared to those of other birds, and also have large corneas and pupils to allow more light into the eye. The retina, where an image is formed at the back of the eye, is so large that an owl’s eye is shaped more like a rounded cone or tube rather than a ball. Because the back of an owl’s eye is wider than the front, owls cannot move their eyes within the socket like other animals. To make up for this, owls are able to turn their heads three-quarters of a full rotation!

To supplement its acute vision, owl’s ears are particularly well adapted for hearing prey. In fact, some owls hear so well that they can catch prey in complete darkness. The feathers of the facial disk- the round, flat areas around the eyes- help direct sound toward their large ear openings. In addition, an owl’s ear openings are set relatively far apart on its skull, and at different orientations on each side. One is high and more forward on the skull, and the other is lower and to the rear. This allows owls to locate noises, such as the rustling of a mouse, by triangulation with remarkable precision.

Excellent sight and hearing are helpful to owls, but very quiet feathers help them sneak up on prey. Relatively large wings covered with feathers that have a velvety soft upper surface and a serrated edge reduce noise during flight. Owls even have feathers on their legs to help keep quiet!

Most birds sleep soundly in their roosts at night. But, it’s not uncommon for us to see an owl gliding through the darkness in search of its prey. Just don’t expect to hear them…

For Wild About Utah, I’m Mark Larese-Casanova.

Credits:
Images: Courtesy US FWS images.fws.gov
Courtesy and Copyright Mike Fish
Courtesy and Copyright Lu Giddings
Courtesy Wikimedia & licensed through CCL
Text: Mark Larese-Casanova, Utah Master Naturalist Program
at Utah State University Extension.

Additional Reading:

Berger, C. (2005). Owls. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books.

Lynch, W. (2007). Owls of the United States and Canada. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Owl Feathers and Flight. (2012). In The Owl Pages. Retrieved September 20, 2013, from https://www.owlpages.com/articles.php?section=owl+physiology&title=Feathers

Owl Eyes and Vision. (2012). In The Owl Pages. Retrieved September 20, 2013, from https://www.owlpages.com/articles.php?section=owl+physiology&title=Vision

September 5, 2013May 11, 2026

Botanical Velcro® aids seed dispersal

Click for a closer view of Burdock flowers, Courtesy and Copyright 2009 Jim Cane — Burdock Flower
Courtesy & Copyright 2009 Jim Cane

The splendid blooming meadows of summer are fulfilling their reproductive imperative now as they mature and disperse the fruits and seeds that resulted from pollination. Plants can’t walk or actively fly, so to disperse from the mother plant, seeds need to catch a ride. Wild gourds bob down flooding arroyos, thistledown floats on the wind, and red barberry fruits hope to catch the eye of a hungry song bird.

Certainly the most annoying means of dispersal is employed by seeds that stick in fur and socks. Some like cheatgrass are driven home by sharp barbed seeds that poke and hold like the porcupine’s quill. Others form evil pointy burrs, like those of puncturevine, that can flatten a bicycle tire. And then there is burdock. This European weed infests moister disturbed sites in Utah. Its burrs cling tightly to hair and clothing.

Click for a closer view of Burdock hooks, Courtesy and Copyright 2009 Jim Cane — Burdock Hooks
Courtesy & Copyright 2009 Jim Cane

Sixty years ago, the Swiss engineer, George de Mestral, became intrigued by the seed heads of cockleburrs and burdocks. They had entangled his dog’s fur and stuck to his pant legs during a montane hunt. How did those burrs cling so steadfastly? Aided by a hand lens, you can see what de Mestral saw: ranks of hook-tipped bristles that snag clothing and fur. Burdocks inspired de Mestral’s invention of Velcro, whose patented nylon bristles are hooked over just like burdock’s and latch on just the same. When next you are beset by burdock burrs, inspect one closely and admire the inventiveness of nature. Then please terminate its dispersal by placing it where the seeds of this weed can’t germinate and grow!

This is Linda Kervin for Bridgerland Audubon Society.
Credits:

Photos: Courtesy & Copyright Jim Cane

Text: Jim Cane, Bridgerland Audubon Society

Additional Reading:

Velcro ^® brand is a registered trademark of Velcro Industries B.V. www.velcro.com

Velcro USA Inc. Celebrates 50th Anniversary, (Press Release)

Invention of Velcro ^® brand Fasteners, Fastech of Jacksonville, Inc., https://www.hookandloop.com/extra/inventionnew.html

Greater Burdock, Arctium lappa L. NRCS Plants Database, https://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ARLA3

Seed Dispersal, Missouri Botanical Garden, https://www.mbgnet.net/bioplants/seed.html

August 29, 2013March 4, 2026

Pinyon Jays

Click for larger picture, Pinyon Jay courtesy and copyright 2005 Marlene Foard - as found on www.utahbirds.org — Pinyon Jay, Tabiona, Utah
Courtesy & © 2005 Marlene Foard
As found on UtahBirds.org

Pinyon Jay
*Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus*
Courtesy US FWS
Dave Menke, Photographer

Click for larger picture, Pinyon Jay Courtesy US FWS, Dave Menke, Photographer — Pinyon Jay, Tabiona, Utah
Courtesy & © 2005 Marlene Foard
As found on UtahBirds.org

Pinyon Jay
*Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus*
Courtesy US FWS
Dave Menke, Photographer

Few birds have such a strong association with one plant that the plants name becomes part of the birds name. Sage grouse is one, Acorn Woodpecker another, but the Pinyon Jay is our topic today. Pinyon Jays are usually found in close association with pinyon-juniper forests throughout the Great Basin and the nutritious nuts of the pinyon pine are their preferred food. The blue and grey birds collect and cache pinyon nuts in summer and fall for later consumption. They have an uncanny recovery accuracy and excellent spatial memory, which allows them to rediscover these scattered caches and eat pinyon nuts all year. They do not recover all the stored seeds, however, and therefore aid in the dispersal of pinyon pines.

Pinyon Jays have a complex social organization and are highly gregarious. [Pinyon Jay Audio Courtesy Kevin Colver]

They spend their lives in large flocks of up to 150 or more individuals. Nesting is communal, although rarely are there more than 2 or 3 nests per tree. Breeding season is in late winter. Many birds spend their entire lives in the flock into which they were born.

Pinyon Jays are not migratory, but they tend to be nomadic; traveling to wherever there is a good crop of pinyon nuts. They will also eat a wide variety of seeds, insects and berries to supplement their diet and can be found in adjoining sagebrush, ponderosa pine forest and riparian habitats. The conservation status of Pinyon Jays is considered vulnerable. Destruction of pinyon-juniper forests for grazing and changes in fire regimes have resulted in loss of habitat. And what is a Pinyon Jay to do without its pinyon nuts?

Thank-you to Kevin Colver for the use of his bird recordings.

This is Linda Kervin for Bridgerland Audubon Society.

Credits:

Pictures: Courtesy and Copyright © 2005 Marlene Foard, as found on utahbirds.org
Also Courtesy US FWS, David Menke, Photographer
Bird Recordings: Kevin Colver https://wildstore.wildsanctuary.com/collections/special-collections
Theme: Courtesy & Copyright Don Anderson as performed by Leaping Lulu
Text & Voice: Linda Kervin, Bridgerland Audubon Society

Additional Reading:

Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus (Pinyon Jay), Fire Effects Information, USDA Forest Service, https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/animals/bird/gycy/all.html

Avian Cognition Laboratory, Northern Arizona University, https://www4.nau.edu/acl/index.htm

Pinyon Jays, Utah Bird Profiles, UtahBirds.org, https://utahbirds.org/birdsofutah/BirdsL-R/PinyonJay.htm

August 26, 2013July 13, 2026

Nutcrackers and Squirrels, Farmers of the Forests

Hi, this is Mark Larese-Casanova from the Utah Master Naturalist Program at Utah State University Extension.

Throughout Utah’s forests, many plants and animals take advantage of other organisms to survive. Whether it is a caterpillar eating a tree leaf, mistletoe growing on a juniper branch, or an owl catching a mouse to eat, one organism being consumed by another is almost inevitable. However, some organisms may inadvertently help others not only survive, but also increase their range.

Many conifer trees, including pines, spruces, and firs, depend on fungi that live in and around their roots. The fine fibers of the fungi act as root hairs, helping trees better absorb water and nutrients from the soil. Some fungi also have symbiotic relationships with bacteria that are able to take Nitrogen from the air and turn it into ammonia, which is one of the forms of nitrogen that helps plants grow. Conifer trees reproduce via seeds from their cones, and fungi produce mushrooms to release spores. Squirrels happen to find conifer seeds and mushrooms particularly tasty, and will readily eat them. As squirrels are known to do, extra food is cached away for winter, and some seeds and mushrooms are inevitably forgotten. This helps disperse seeds and spores, aiding in population growth. So, the fungus helps the tree grow, the tree and fungus provide food for the squirrel, and the squirrel helps the tree and fungus spread to new areas.

The Clark’s nutcracker, a bird closely related to the crow and raven, is also particularly important in aiding in the spread of pine trees. Living at higher elevations, nutcrackers must store food for the long winters on Utah’s mountains. A nutcracker’s stout beak is used to crack open pine cones to retrieve the seeds inside. It stores seeds in a pouch under its tongue, and flies away to cache the seeds for winter. Each Clark’s nutcracker stores tens of thousands of seeds every year. While many seed caches are found and eaten, some are forgotten and germinate into young saplings.

So, while squirrels and nutcrackers are ultimately just looking for a good meal, both play a crucial role in establishing and maintaining healthy forest ecosystems in Utah’s mountains. For Wild About Utah, I’m Mark Larese-Casanova.

For Wild About Utah, I’m Mark Larese-Casanova.

Credits:
Images: Courtesy US FWS images.fws.gov
Text: Mark Larese-Casanova, Utah Master Naturalist Program
at Utah State University Extension.

Additional Reading:

Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Clark’s nutcracker. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Clarks_Nutcracker/id

Larese-Casanova, M. Utah Master Naturalist Mountains Wildlife Field Guide. Utah State University Extension. 2012.

Maser, C., and Z. Maser. 1988. Interactions among squirrels, micorrhizal fungi, and coniferous forests in Oregon. The Great Basin Naturalist 48(3):358-369.

US Forest Service. Clark’s Nutcracker. https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/animals/bird/nuco/all.html#FOOD%20HABITS

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Living with Wildlife: tree squirrels. https://wdfw.wa.gov/living/tree_squirrels.html