This little owl is so wet that I am having a bit of trouble identifying it.  At first I thought it was a Great Horned Owl, but I am having second thoughts.  The wing feather color is right on for a great horned, but the pattern on the one wing feather is more like a Barred Owl.  Help me out somebody...

Either way, a really cool experience.  We released this little guy at the site of capture.  Chances are, the parents are near by and will take it from here.

We also caught a few snakes including: Black Rat Snake, Speckled King Snake, and Water Snake.

Cornbread Crumbs as an Alternative to Bird Seed

Cornbread crumbs seems to be a good alternative to regular bird-feed in a winter pinch.  With the snow on birds seem to really relish the cornbread crumbs we tossed out the other night.  I wasn't sure if they would find it and eat, but they sure did.  White-breasted Nuthatches, White-creasted Sparrows, and Juncos were the most interested.

Snow Birds

Sometimes winter weather is really tough on birds; especially when the ground is frozen and snow covered.  Birds have a difficult time foraging and they must expend a lot of energy to locate food.  Native winter birds require a lot more high quality food just to stay warm.  Feeding stations may help, but this may also have its drawbacks.  When birds congregate at feeders they are easier targets for predators and disease.  Domestic cats can be a significant problem; especially in urban environments.  It helps to place feeding stations near good cover such as red cedar trees or dense shrubs.  This allows birds a place to hide from predators and shelter from wind.  Some excellent foods for winter birds include: black oil sunflower seeds and suit.  Mealworms are also good for insectivorous species such as Eastern Bluebirds and the Carolina Wren pictured here.

Birds in Northwest Arkansas

I want to introduce you to a new book a friend and colleague of mine recently published.

Joeseph C. Neal (BA History 1968, MS Zoology 1992) is a native of western Arkansas who has made his home in Fayetteville since coming to the University of Arkansas in 1964. He worked as a freelance journalist (The Grapevine) before joining with Dr. Douglas A. James to coauthor Arkansas Birds (University of Arkansas Press 1986). Subsequently, he wrote the academic portion of the History of Washington County Arkansas (Shiloh Museum 1989). Upon finishing his MS he joined the USDA Forest Service as a wildlife biologist on the Ouachita National Forest. His work there included a focus on recovery for Red-cockaded woodperchers (picoides borealis). Joe retired from the Forest Service in 2008. He is presently a visiting scholar in the UA-Fayetteville Department of Biological Sciences (joeneal@uark.edu). He serves as curator of bird records for Arkansas Audubon Society and as a field trip leader for the Northwest Arkansas Audubon Society.