UFO sighting in my woods today! Picture added!

gspren · January 03, 2013, 09:26:55 PM

A few weeks ago I cut a 20" white oak that had uprooted on a hillside and when I cut the trunk it was probably about 4ft from the dirt although it is horizontal and maybe 3ft in the air. The stump is hollow, about 8" dia hole and I was going to take a couple more pieces of firewood off but when I got there there was a UFO (unidentified feathered owl)looking out. I'm not good at what kind of owl it was but it filled the hole. I put that horizontal stump on my do not cut list, I hope he likes it.

POSTON WIDEHEAD · January 03, 2013, 09:36:12 PM

That's a HOOT!

Slab Slicer · January 03, 2013, 09:53:47 PM

Whoda thunk it. You made a home for that owl when you cut the tree. Now aren't some folks trying to stop us from cutting trees in order to save the home of some kinda owl? :D

WDH · January 03, 2013, 11:13:27 PM

That is cool!

clww · January 03, 2013, 11:15:51 PM

It's a good thing, you making and preserving that home for your feathered friend. I had to cut down a tree a couple of weeks ago that had been a den tree for critters before. I HATE doing that, but it was right in the middle of where our power line right-of-way is going up at the cabin. I'm going to take 15 feet of the trunk over to another standing tree and lash it up vertical again. We'll see what happens.....

Magicman · January 04, 2013, 07:28:00 AM

That is neat Gary. Wonder if it spied a mouse or squirrel in there. I would be thinking that food is a top priority right now.

drobertson · January 04, 2013, 08:38:29 AM

Nicely done! I kinda like owls, long as they stay away from my coop ;D so far I've had no issues, mainly hawks during the day,

gspren · January 04, 2013, 03:51:56 PM

He was there again today and a buddy that was helping split wood took some pictures. if he emails a good picture maybe I'll figure out how to post it. And as a correction it was a maple not an oak although I doubt if the owl cares.

SPIKER · January 05, 2013, 12:29:01 AM

have a few BIG DEAD POPPLE up in my woods that had some nice deep holes in the top, it broke off last fall right at one of the holes leaving one below and one above that fell and the one split in two. Not sure what made them as we have a lot of big wood peckers and hear a few HOOTs at evening and late afternoon. A few yards away there is a Cherry that dropped a big limb about 50' up that is hollow and last spring had a hole (whole) mess of hooters peeking out at me the one day.

I like watching a lot of the birds on my place red tails and such but must admit only HEAR the owls most times.

Still never managed to ID the hawk that has a nest this year. rather plane looking more of a falcon but not much bigger than a pigeon. More of a bark than a chirp & loved to follow me around waiting for me to flush something out for his/her lunch.

M

SwampDonkey · January 05, 2013, 05:43:55 AM

They try to leave a few old knarly yellow birch and rock maple in the woods on crown land for the owls. These are the old 40"+ sized ones. Just about everyone of them are hollow. I forget how many they prescribed. But then I talked to someone in timber management about accurately measuring diameters classes above 48 cm and said anything beyond 48 cm is a 48 cm class. I asked why they wouldn't tally it more accurate if they were leaving wolf trees. He was only interested in tree volumes and said anything that big was few and far between and insignificant. It may be so, but why would timber management not be collaborating with their wildlife management biologists. :

I did the math on 1 - 20" tree sampled in 100 acres with 40 samples taken and it represents 9 cords of wood statistically. So a 40 incher must be nearly a load of free wood in my estimate. This is one reason I never put much faith in crown land cruises.

Autocar · January 08, 2013, 06:45:33 PM

Iam all the time cutting out woodpecker dens and such as I fell trees, today I cut a dandy but some how remembered it later in the day but didn't remember which tree I was at when I cut it :

gspren · January 10, 2013, 06:25:58 PM

For a few days I didn't see the Owl when I went past but today I saw that he is still here, we named him AL.

Magicman · January 10, 2013, 07:17:18 PM

I am so glad that it returned. How high is the hollow tree from the ground?

WDH · January 10, 2013, 09:15:15 PM

AL?

I have seen him on the Chainsaw Board

.

gspren · January 10, 2013, 09:37:56 PM

Quote from: Magicman on January 10, 2013, 07:17:18 PM
I am so glad that it returned. How high is the hollow tree from the ground?

Only about 3 feet in the air then a few feet away it drops another couple feet to a small stream. When I ride my ATV through the woods my trail is about 75 yards away but I can tell from there if he is sitting in the opening although if he goes back inside I can't see him. I am guessing it's a Screech Owl, does anything harm/eat them?

gspren · January 10, 2013, 09:40:02 PM

Quote from: WDH on January 10, 2013, 09:15:15 PM
AL?

I have seen him on the Chainsaw Board .

Maybe he's studying the cut end to see if I sharpened correctly. :D

WDH · January 10, 2013, 09:41:10 PM

He might be checking out your hinge technique.

Slabs · January 11, 2013, 07:59:30 PM

Quote from: gspren on January 10, 2013, 09:37:56 PM
Quote from: Magicman on January 10, 2013, 07:17:18 PM
I am so glad that it returned. How high is the hollow tree from the ground?
. I am guessing it's a Screech Owl, does anything harm/eat them?

Don't know if owls are food for anything but there's some critters that will "eat anything that doesn't eat them first". Owls tend to eat first.

My bird book shows that your area is common to Screech owls, Great horned, Long eared, Short eared, Barn and Barred owls. The barred are common down here. I idenified them because they are the only eastern dark-faced owls with black eyes. Barn owls have black eyes but they also have white faces.

I can scan pics from the bird book if it'll help.

gspren · January 12, 2013, 01:09:02 PM

Slabs, it is better if I don't know for sure what kind it is because then I wouldn't have a UFO on the property!

GAB · January 12, 2013, 03:44:33 PM

gspren Sir:
Is it possible that this owl is a stump reader?
Just reading the stumps to see if he wants to hire you to carve out his/her next domicile.
Enjoy the scenery while it lasts,
Gerald

JJ · January 12, 2013, 06:07:48 PM

Hi,
I once had bad problem with red squirrels getting into my buildings. I eliminated all my bird feeders, and put traps into boat.
Saw almost intimidate reduction in the tree rats and felt pretty smart, until I began to notice the great horned owl hanging out around my house.
Was years ago, but I remember being able to walk around and find him in various locations.
It was fun to watch, but I never did get to see him grab one of the squirrels.

JJ

SwampDonkey · January 12, 2013, 07:07:56 PM

Squirrels are also active at night time, prime time for the owl.

Slabs · January 12, 2013, 07:33:57 PM

Quote from: gspren on January 12, 2013, 01:09:02 PM
Slabs, it is better if I don't know for sure what kind it is because then I wouldn't have a UFO on the property!

Good Point. It might also screw up the thread name.