Hello All,

Recently I've been so buried under deadlines that I've had little time in the field, but on Thursday evening (Dec. 8) I did check out the causeway across the marsh at Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, Ottawa / Lucas counties, n.w. Ohio. (For a birding map of the area, see: http://www.bsbo.org/birding/pdf/Magee_Marsh_Map.pdf ).

In recent winters the Magee causeway often has had Short-eared Owls. These owls seem to be staging a mini-invasion in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan this year, with reports of multiples from several locations, so I was surprised not to find any at Magee on Thursday; I arrived ten minutes before sunset and stayed for 45 minutes, until it was almost dark, so I was there during prime time for Short-ear activity, and saw none. This area had very high water several times this fall, so the populations of voles and other rodents in the marsh itself may be temporarily reduced. The Short-ears may be hunting in other fields farther from the lake. I did see one a couple of miles farther west, at the corner of Krause and Stange roads, at dusk a couple of weeks ago.

At the Magee causeway I did note that Northern Harriers are roosting communally again, as they have several times in recent winters. When I arrived ten minutes before sunset, four harriers were circling low over the marsh, east of the causeway near its southern end. Evidently some were already down on the ground before I got there, because I saw a couple come up out of the grass, fly around, and settle again. With birds arriving, circling, settling and then getting up again, it wasn't possible to get a precise count, but I'm sure at least nine harriers were present. I didn't watch them continuously (I was scanning for owls) but at least a couple of harriers came up and flew around almost half an hour after sunset, unusually late for them to be active.

This habit of communal roosting by Northern Harriers is a well-known phenomenon, but the Magee site represents an unusually good opportunity to see it. From the southernmost of the three pullouts along the causeway (see map), the roosting area is off to the southeast. The last half-hour before local sunset would be the best time to see the action. During the day, the harriers are mostly dispersed, off hunting in other areas.


Kenn Kaufman
Editor, Kaufman Field Guides series
http://www.kaufmanfieldguides.com/
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