ceohunter
05-31-2006, 10:39 PM
lTHE ODD COUPLE
Published: May 26, 2006
Rare sight: This Rio Grande turkey and baby great gray owl were seen together last weekend and early this week at Spring Creek. Unfortunately the owl died Tuesday. Spring Creek, about 10 miles west of La Grande, has one of the highest concentrations of great gray owls in the Northwest.
Photo/Ray and Linda Rolls
Dick Mason
The Observer
Talk about an unorthodox
relationship.
This one will leave knowledgeable birders scratching their heads for years to come.
It is the story of an adult Rio Grande female turkey that adopted a two-week-old great gray owl at Spring Creek.
The tale began when the turkey came across the young owl after it had fallen out of its 50-foot-high artificial nest structure. The turkey was mysteriously drawn to the owl and began staying within several feet of it almost round-the-clock. It would not let anyone get close to it.
"Any time people would approach, the turkey began walking around it,'' said Mark Penninger of La Grande, a U.S. Forest Service wildlife biologist. "Its motherly instincts kicked in.''
The turkey even kept the owl's mother away. This proved tragic because the mother owl was trying to bring her offspring a vole to eat.
When intruders were not nearby the turkey and the owl often sat together on a log, Penninger said.
The young owl felt so comfortable with the turkey that it climbed onto its back, Penninger said. A photograph taken by Kendall Hatley of College Place, Wash., which was too fuzzy to publish, serves as proof.
Penninger finds this incredible since owls and turkeys never carry their young on their backs.
"I don't know why the owl got on the turkey's back or why the turkey tolerated it,'' the biologist said.
The turkey and the owl were first spotted together May 20 by Ray and Linda Rolls of Chico, Calif. The Rolls e-mailed their photos to Penninger. He first saw the photos Monday and then went to Spring Creek with biologists Arlene Blumton of the Forest Service and Gary Miller and Marisa Meyer of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
"We were so amazed we had to see it with our own eyes,'' Penninger said.
The owl they found at Spring Creek was about 30 yards from its nest platform. Biologists knew it had hatched May 8 because on that date Aric Johnson of the U.S. Forest Service had climbed up to the structure to stabilize it. Johnson observed three young owls in the nest. One had hatched minutes earlier and was much smaller than the others. It was the one that later fell out.
Spring Creek, about 10 miles west of La Grande, has one of the highest concentrations of great gray owls in the Northwest. Artificial nest structures installed there may be the reason.
The baby owl was not in good shape when biologists found it Monday. It had not eaten for days because the turkey would not let its parents provide food. The hen never fed the owl because turkeys don't bring food to their young. Instead, mother turkeys keep their young in places where there are plenty of insects for them to feed on, Penninger said. Adult turkeys eat few insects but their young eat many.
Great gray owls by comparison bring their young great quantities of food including voles and mice.
The young owl in question was not only malnourished but also appeared cold because of wet weather. The four biologists considered placing the bird back into its nest. They decided against it for two reasons. The biologists feared that going up to the nest structure would get the two owls in it so excited they might jump out. The biologists were also worried that the young owl they would put back might get pushed out later by its bigger siblings.
Taking the owl to a certified wildlife rehabilitator was another option. The biologists decided against this because the bird appeared near death and it would be difficult to find a wildlife rehabilitator ready to immediately take in a great gray owl.
The biologists did take action by distracting the turkey and moving the baby owl on to a leaning ponderosa pine about seven feet off the ground. This was done to keep the owl dry and give the owl's parents a better chance to feed it by making it harder for the turkey to interfere.
Unfortunately the owl died Tuesday. Its death did not surprise the biologists.
"Because of its condition and the wet weather we did not have high hopes,'' Penninger said.
The nurturing instincts of the turkey ultimately dealt a fatal blow to the owl because it kept the mother from bringing in food.
"If the turkey had not been there it would have had a chance,'' Penninger said.
Why did the turkey adopt the owl?
The answer will never be known. Animals sometimes adopt unrelated offspring. The May 2002 edition of National Wildlife magazine cites the case of a family of raccoons adopting a kitten. The story notes that gulls, geese, bats, coyotes and seals are among the many creatures known to raise another species' young.
Why animals do this is not known since it seems to offer no advantages to the adoptive parent. National Wildlife magazine called it the "parenting paradox'' — an unforgettable example of which was on display this week at Spring Creek.
The Observer is published Monday through Saturday in La Grande, Oregon, by Western Communications, Inc.
The Observer is your daily online source for news, sports, weather, local information and advertising in Union and Wallowa counties. LaGrandeObserver.com is your window to everything you want to know about local events, attractions, history and recreation.
Whether you travel to visit the area, or are a lifelong resident, you'll find LaGrandeObserver.com to be the source of local information for all your Union and Wallowa County communities.
© Copyright 2001-2006 Western Communications, Inc.
Published: May 26, 2006
Rare sight: This Rio Grande turkey and baby great gray owl were seen together last weekend and early this week at Spring Creek. Unfortunately the owl died Tuesday. Spring Creek, about 10 miles west of La Grande, has one of the highest concentrations of great gray owls in the Northwest.
Photo/Ray and Linda Rolls
Dick Mason
The Observer
Talk about an unorthodox
relationship.
This one will leave knowledgeable birders scratching their heads for years to come.
It is the story of an adult Rio Grande female turkey that adopted a two-week-old great gray owl at Spring Creek.
The tale began when the turkey came across the young owl after it had fallen out of its 50-foot-high artificial nest structure. The turkey was mysteriously drawn to the owl and began staying within several feet of it almost round-the-clock. It would not let anyone get close to it.
"Any time people would approach, the turkey began walking around it,'' said Mark Penninger of La Grande, a U.S. Forest Service wildlife biologist. "Its motherly instincts kicked in.''
The turkey even kept the owl's mother away. This proved tragic because the mother owl was trying to bring her offspring a vole to eat.
When intruders were not nearby the turkey and the owl often sat together on a log, Penninger said.
The young owl felt so comfortable with the turkey that it climbed onto its back, Penninger said. A photograph taken by Kendall Hatley of College Place, Wash., which was too fuzzy to publish, serves as proof.
Penninger finds this incredible since owls and turkeys never carry their young on their backs.
"I don't know why the owl got on the turkey's back or why the turkey tolerated it,'' the biologist said.
The turkey and the owl were first spotted together May 20 by Ray and Linda Rolls of Chico, Calif. The Rolls e-mailed their photos to Penninger. He first saw the photos Monday and then went to Spring Creek with biologists Arlene Blumton of the Forest Service and Gary Miller and Marisa Meyer of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
"We were so amazed we had to see it with our own eyes,'' Penninger said.
The owl they found at Spring Creek was about 30 yards from its nest platform. Biologists knew it had hatched May 8 because on that date Aric Johnson of the U.S. Forest Service had climbed up to the structure to stabilize it. Johnson observed three young owls in the nest. One had hatched minutes earlier and was much smaller than the others. It was the one that later fell out.
Spring Creek, about 10 miles west of La Grande, has one of the highest concentrations of great gray owls in the Northwest. Artificial nest structures installed there may be the reason.
The baby owl was not in good shape when biologists found it Monday. It had not eaten for days because the turkey would not let its parents provide food. The hen never fed the owl because turkeys don't bring food to their young. Instead, mother turkeys keep their young in places where there are plenty of insects for them to feed on, Penninger said. Adult turkeys eat few insects but their young eat many.
Great gray owls by comparison bring their young great quantities of food including voles and mice.
The young owl in question was not only malnourished but also appeared cold because of wet weather. The four biologists considered placing the bird back into its nest. They decided against it for two reasons. The biologists feared that going up to the nest structure would get the two owls in it so excited they might jump out. The biologists were also worried that the young owl they would put back might get pushed out later by its bigger siblings.
Taking the owl to a certified wildlife rehabilitator was another option. The biologists decided against this because the bird appeared near death and it would be difficult to find a wildlife rehabilitator ready to immediately take in a great gray owl.
The biologists did take action by distracting the turkey and moving the baby owl on to a leaning ponderosa pine about seven feet off the ground. This was done to keep the owl dry and give the owl's parents a better chance to feed it by making it harder for the turkey to interfere.
Unfortunately the owl died Tuesday. Its death did not surprise the biologists.
"Because of its condition and the wet weather we did not have high hopes,'' Penninger said.
The nurturing instincts of the turkey ultimately dealt a fatal blow to the owl because it kept the mother from bringing in food.
"If the turkey had not been there it would have had a chance,'' Penninger said.
Why did the turkey adopt the owl?
The answer will never be known. Animals sometimes adopt unrelated offspring. The May 2002 edition of National Wildlife magazine cites the case of a family of raccoons adopting a kitten. The story notes that gulls, geese, bats, coyotes and seals are among the many creatures known to raise another species' young.
Why animals do this is not known since it seems to offer no advantages to the adoptive parent. National Wildlife magazine called it the "parenting paradox'' — an unforgettable example of which was on display this week at Spring Creek.
The Observer is published Monday through Saturday in La Grande, Oregon, by Western Communications, Inc.
The Observer is your daily online source for news, sports, weather, local information and advertising in Union and Wallowa counties. LaGrandeObserver.com is your window to everything you want to know about local events, attractions, history and recreation.
Whether you travel to visit the area, or are a lifelong resident, you'll find LaGrandeObserver.com to be the source of local information for all your Union and Wallowa County communities.
© Copyright 2001-2006 Western Communications, Inc.