Friday, April 18, 2008

Owl Warning by the Mill Pond


This is what they have posted to protect the public. Yet the Great Horned Owl's nest seems to be empty and I think the young one has flown.


7 comments:

Oppy said...

Ah yes. That's government for you. A day late and a dollar short when they give out solutions to problems.

Cheryl said...

I would love to watch owls taking care of their babies..did you see any pellets on the ground beneath the nest?

Biddie said...

pre-planning for next year ???

I wish that there was a greater sense of protecting the habitats of the wildife here in this area. There are folks here and there thru out the county that are aware of this need. But for the most part, this area is predominately settled by the older "redneck, backwoods" type of folk that sort of run amuck on the land, not realizing that they are too many for the land to take and adjust for their actions much longer. But things are gradually changing as more people move into the area that are more concerned for the land. The down side of this is that the parcels of land are getting broken up into smaller and smaller pieces which also impacts the wildlife ....

Priscilla said...

Oppy, it was actually the do-gooders that run this private park who put up the sign, and the nest was evidently becoming well known and they were concerned about the safety of the public and the birds. I didn't see any pellets. I didn't even know there was a young bird until I saw the sign. I just saw the parent sitting on the nest that one time.

Oppy said...

OK. I take it back! It just sounded to me like the way the government would handle it. At least they were trying to keep others from bothering the owls.

Just east of here about 70 miles (as the crow flys) is a place called Pawnee Buttes. The land surrounding it is the Pawnee National Grasslands and is very open and quiet except for the wind. At the base of the western most butte is an area that is available for people to walk through which has some trees and larger brush. It's available except for approx. the beginning of April through June because it's a bird sanctuary and that's the mating time for the birds there. Most people are awed by or made uncomfortable by this place since if the wind isn't blowing enough to hear it's perfectly quiet. So quiet you can hear your own heart beating. Some people were riding ATVs down in that area and disturbing the birds which is why it's off limits with a stiff fine if you violate the limitation. This area is managed by the National Park Service.

Priscilla said...

What a wonderful place, that grassland must be.. I'd love to visit there and do some birding. So quiet, but you'd eventually begin to hear little noises like insects and grass rustling and birds flying and your own footsteps as you explored. Such places are really good for one, have a calming effect. You may not realize it until later when you come back to "civilization". Aren't there sensory deprivation tanks where you can float in water in dim light and go into a sort of trance, seeking the same sort of relaxation, or is that just a yuppie rip-off?

Oppy said...

The "grasslands" is a misnomer actually. The eastern area of CO is semi arrid and what land there is very poor (meaning not very fertile) land and so you get very tough and hardy tufts of grass with dirt nd lots of small rocks and the like. Not the field of tall grass as you might expect. I've never actually gone down into the area where the birds and some other plant life is so I can't say what's there. Obviously there's a source of water but since the area is maybe 100 feet lower in altitude it would make sense that some water may be close enough to the surface or may pool there from the occassional precipitation.

The quietness outside the area of the bires is very relaxing IF the silence doesn't scare you. And many people do get scared because it's so different from their normal surroundings.