Pennsylvania Game News - October 2012 - 19

RICHARD FRITSKY and many other PGC biologists are busy monitoring barn owl nests across the state, banding as many young as they can in the process.

high atop the silo, and then took flight,” Fritsky said. “Five owlets snapped their beaks and hissed like an angry nest of vipers in an attempt to scare me away. Their fuzzy bodies, with comically big heads, were each placed in a cat litter container and transported to the tailgate of a pickup truck where we would collect biological information.” The processing of the young owls consists of determining their age, weight and genetic characteristics. Age is estimated by using a combination of measuring a flight feather and comparing the bird in hand with photos of owls at known ages. The owlet is held in position throughout the process with the ingenious application of PVC pipe. The bird is then placed in a cloth bag and held aloft to find the bird’s weight in grams. A down feather is plucked from the chest and the genetic material found at the base of the feather will be tested by York College students to obtain a DNA profile. Determining the sex of an owl at this early age is difficult and not necessary. Lastly, the owl is fitted with a metal leg band supplied by the U.S. Geological Survey. The band has a 9-digit number specific to each owl and has both a toll-free number and website address. All information is gathered in an effort to study barn owl health, population trends, dispersal patterns and causes of mortality. The Game Commission began a Barn Owl Conservation Initiative in 2005 to study the biology and ecology of barn owls in an effort to better understand and conserve the species. Biologists from each of the agency’s six regions conduct yearly site visits to verify active nests, monitor young, conduct public outreach to farmers, and determine suitability for artificial barn owl
OCTOBER 2012

Hal Korber

nesting box placement. Nest boxes are mounted at least 15 feet above ground and mimic the conditions found in natural tree cavities. They are usually placed in the interior of a barn, with a hole cut into the side of the barn, so the birds can fly directly into the box from the outside. Short Lifespan “The five owlets are within four and five weeks of age and all appear to be in good health,” Fritsky said. “At around eight weeks, barn owls leave the nest to work on their flying and hunting skills. The adults will continue to feed the young for another five or six weeks. Owlets mature and breed within their first year. This remarkable reproductive capacity probably developed because of their short lifespan of two to four years.” Fritsky gently passes each owl through the small silo door and lowers them onto the boney remains of
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Pennsylvania Game News - October 2012

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