Dead Barred Owls, Moultonborough Neck
 

I found a dead Barred Owl on Saturday lying next to a small pond on Moultonborough Neck, past Kona Farms. The bird had no obvious injury and it was a mystery as to what caused its demise. A day later I found a second dead Barred in the middle of a residential road, less than a quarter of mile from where I found the first one. This second dead owl had been run over so it may have been hit by a car but the loss of two of these beautiful birds so close to each other has caused me to wonder, is there a connection and contributing factor? The only thing I could think of was poisoning via rodents of some kind. Any thoughts?

How sad but that would be my guess.

Poor things.....we've heard them both at our camp in M'Boro and at home.....I love their call. "Who cooks for you.....Who cooks for you"

Dead Owls
 

Sad news. I would agree that it is likely a poisoned rodent that they ingested. :(
Nasty stuff.

From a website:

Both male and female] The call most associated with the Barred Owl, often described as "who cooks for you, who cooks for you-all." I have heard from 3-note (cooks for you-all) to 12-note (who cooks for you, who cooks for you, who cooks for you-all) versions of this call. Probably the most common variation is a 7-note call, with the 5th note excluded (who cooks for you, cooks for you-all). There are also variations in the pace of the notes (see track #3), and the pitch of individual notes (e.g., for some owls the first note is higher-pitched than the second note; for others the second note is higher-pitched). This call is also combined with the series call.


As always....open to interpretation!:laugh:

Wow, Sad to say the least. Could you have brought one to a taxidermist?

Wow, who would have known?:laugh:

No, having an owl in your possession whether dead or alive without special permission is a federal crime. Mounting an owl requires special permission and is an activity that Fish and Game would seek out a taxidermist for. My father was commisioned for such a mount of a Barred Owl and a Black Bear cub in the 1990's they are both at Fish and Game headquarters. You can also approach fish and game with a request to mount a found protected animal, but it would typically have to be donated for display in a private or public location.

The tag you are given for such permission can never leave the mount if it is to remain in a personal collection.

It also ranks with eagles, as being illegal to have a single feather, unless special considerations are met.

Would that be a poison rodent or a rodent that WAS poisoned by say a homeowner? :confused: