Snowy winter in N.S. pushing tiny saw-whet owls into more populated areas

The snow that has blanketed much of Nova Scotia this winter is pushing some of the province’s smallest owls into more human-populated areas to seek food.

The snow cover means the tiny Northern saw-whet owl, which is smaller than a robin, has had difficulty hunting its preferred diet of mice, voles and shrews, says Randy Lauff, a biology instructor at St. Francis Xavier University who studies boreal and Northern saw-whet owls.

Lauff says owls in general have good eyesight and exceptional hearing.

“So they come with a background of armaments for predation that is matched by nothing else,” Lauff says.

Larger owls in particular are able to hear rodents scurrying around even under 30 or more centimetres of snow, and they can use their bulk and strength to plunge through deep snow to nab their prey with uncanny precision.

Saw-whets, however, can’t do that to the same degree due to their small size.

Lauff says their difficulty hunting food means saw-whets are being spotted more frequently this winter in rural or urban yards with bird feeders.

But it’s not the seed they’re after. It’s the mice or even small, sparrow-sized birds that are attracted to the feeders that saw-whets are interested in.

Although it may feel like Nova Scotia has had deeper and longer-lasting snow this winter, CBC meteorologist Ryan Snoddon says so far, we’re pretty much on par with most winters — although that could change with the additional snowfall the province received on Monday.

Small visitor at Hatfield Farm

Hatfield Farm in Hammonds Plains, N.S., recently spotted a saw-whet owl on its property for the first time.

The owl got into one of the barns and perched up in the rafters for a few days before moving on.

Owner Cherie Hatfield says she imagines it was looking for “small critters” hanging around the barn.

“It’s been a lot of snow cover and we know that lots of predators are out looking for food these days,” Hatfield says. “I’m sure everybody’s trying to survive the winter.”

She says staff didn’t want to stress the owl out, so they just kept the barn door open so it could fly out whenever it wanted.

‘Give the bird its space’

Lauff urges Nova Scotians who happen to spot a saw-whet in their yard to leave them alone.

“Admire it for a minute or two. Take a picture if you want, but then … give the bird its space.”

At Lauff’s suggestion, the Nova Scotia Bird Society recently stopped allowing members of its Facebook group to post photos of saw-whet owls in order to reduce the risk that the owls will be disturbed by birders.

“They don’t realize that this owl is stressed. It doesn’t want to be there,” Lauff says. “It’s desperate to find food and the biggest source of food is unfortunately at our feeders at night.”

Lauff says hunting is especially important just after dusk because saw-whets, being nocturnal, likely haven’t eaten since the night before.

Any yard lights or interactions with humans can stress and distract the owl and take precious time away from its hunt, Lauff says.

Snow a blessing and curse

Hope Swinemar, founder of wildlife rescue centre Hope for Wildlife in Seaforth, N.S., says snow cover can be both a blessing and a curse for birds of prey.

The dark colour of mice or rats is easily visible against white snow, making them easier to spot, but if the snow crusts over in ice, it can be difficult for them to reach prey underneath.

“If it’s a really harsh winter, there is higher starvation. They can get exhausted because they have to work harder for their food,” Swinemar says.

Swinemar says she hasn’t seen an increase in saw-whet owls needing help at the centre this year, but has seen quite a few barred owls — likely because they hunt along roads at dusk and get hit by cars.

Ultimately, most birds and animals can weather whatever the weather brings, she says.

“The wild world are probably much better at dealing with harsh winters than us humans. They have it all figured out. They’ve been doing it for so, so long.”

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