by Chris Bell
MANITOULIN––The handsome bird seen in the accompanying photo is a northern hawk owl, and its presence on Manitoulin has caused quite a stir among the birding community of late.
A medium-sized owl, it perches upright, leaning forward and raising its tail, looking very like a hawk, thus its name. When hunting, it does not rely on hearing but locates its prey by perching on a high tree or phone wire usually in open country with scattered trees. Without moving its body, it rotates its head and scans the ground until it spots a mouse. Then, flying very fast, it swoops down on the rodent. We have noticed this individual is very active, often flying quite a distance to a new perch. A diurnal hunter, it is most active in daylight. This one, the only hawk owl on the Island right now, has been seen in several locations along Highway 6 between Sheguiandah and Manitowaning.
The owl, first spotted on February 24, has been here for a full month. John and Sharon Savage are keeping track of the bird and John has taken many excellent photographs. Other birders and photographers have got word of the owl and have travelled here to look for it. A licenced bird-bander from Lively, who specializes in owls, banded and released the owl on March 11. He said the bird was healthy with plenty of body fat, indicating it has been eating well.
The northern hawk owl lives in the northern forests of North America, Europe and Asia. If food gets scarce there in its home territory, it will fly south in winter, sometimes as far as Manitoulin. This one is expected to return shortly to the north country. We have found very few hawk owls on Manitoulin in the last few years but prior to that three or four were reported most winters, and one year a pair stayed to nest in a hollow tree on Barrie Island and raised young.
Other types of owls reported on Manitoulin this March are the great horned owl, barred owl, snowy owl and northern saw-whet owl. Short-eared owls are expected to arrive in the next few weeks. April is considered the best month of the year to hear owls, usually at night.
