Posted on 09/05/2011 4:58:10 PM PDT by SJackson
Wildlife biologists are proposing to shoot hundreds or even thousands of Pacific Northwest barred owls as a way to protect the endangered Northern spotted owl. Barred owls are larger, more aggressive and have been taking over spotted owl territory for the past 20 years. The proposal to shoot barred owls is part of a federal spotted owl recovery plan that will be released soon.
Whether to intervene in what some see as a natural competition between species is a matter of hot debate among biologists, conservationists and the timber industry, which argues that we've set aside huge chunks of habitat for a bird that now can't be saved.
Human action has consequences. Here's my barred owl story from February and a couple other odd and cautionary tales.
Thank you so much for the video. I really enjoyed it. I loved it.
As a little kid growing up in Panama, I would hear these wonderful owls in the middle of the night. They would scare the devil out of me, and I would hide under the covers.
Anybody have plans for barred owl houses or how to attract them?
This is “evolution in action.” Why are we intervening?
does this mean we can start shooting the Canada geese taht are fouling our lakes and parks?
Very KOOL!
Had a pet Robin when I was a kid. Found him on the ground. Warmed him up in the oven. He grew up and was let go outside. He would come when my dad whistled for him, and land on his head. Amazing to see. Smarter than we think.
LOL! I saw that and was wondering the same thing. Heck, if they’re barred, why not kill them?
Wasn’t there something in that evolution thingee about “survival of the fittest”?
must be nice to play god:
let this one live !! kill that one !!
We should be shooting biologists and conservationists.
This may happen here in Humboldt County Calif. Most of the US Forest Service lands have been closed to logging due to the BS of the Spotted Owl. This was a make believe crisis cooked up by the Sierra Club et al and one local nut let slip that it was week science and they were already setting up the Three Toed Salamander as the boogie man to stop logging.
My daughter and I took a field trip with a group to a Spotted Owl study area on Simpson Timber co land. We went a few miles above Korbel Ca and witnessed a Simpson forester call in a pair of Owls that would grab a piece of hand held food by several of us. They were in a 40 acre patch that was next to several clear cuts
What a wonderful story? Are they barn owls or something else?
I love owls. When I was little, my family found a Western screech owl fledge who had fallen from a tree ... and then we discovered he had a clubfoot. Could never hunt or even hang onto a tree limb well. He became our friend and companion and lived in our house for 17 years (which is way past how long screech owls generally live). He was incredibly smart, sweet-natured and fun. Thanks for bringing back my memories.
maybe? don’t know.
Barn owls are very distinctive. They look like they have flat dinner plates around their eyes. :) If they don’t look like that, they’re something else. (You can always google “owls” and look at pictures — there aren’t THAT many kinds of owls! LOL!)
On "Federal" land, perhaps. A lot of the State gets pretty well ravaged. And I'm no tree-hugger.
Are you saying the the State Forest service is ravaging forests?
Forest managers like Plum Creek clear-cut at levels that I have a hard time believing are legal. Our State forests seem to be managed at sustainable levels. If you’ve got Google Earth, check out the Bone Mountain area in Douglas County. I understand that harvesting trees at 33 to 37 years of age is going to leave a checkerboard pattern on the landscape, but the above mentioned area can only be described as raped. No doubt some of this would be alleviated by lifting restrictions on federal forests, but we both know that ain’t gonna happen any time soon.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.