Nature "crime" scene at Frautschi Point

1/7/2016

Mariah Myers, expert in animal ecology and wildlife care, shared this report: "I took my dog on a walk this afternoon at Frautschi Point and while on the "Big Oak Trail" we came across a nature crime scene involving many feathers, some lovely entrails and a raptor foot! There were many many animal tracks in the vicinity, most of which were rabbit, squirrel and other small rodents. I did see what appeared to be coyote/fox tracks but the area was too chopped up from all the activity to tell exactly "who done it".

Anyway, I've attached a few pictures. Nothing too graphic just some of the feathers and a close up of the foot. Any help with ID is welcome." Please help us identify the raptor by submitting your comments.

9 Comments

Kat

1/7/2016 11:57:06 am

Looks like a great-horned owl to me. Some people call them "flying tigers" because they aren't shy about taking on big prey. Maybe this one tried to catch a fox and got more than it bargained for!

Richard Séguin

1/7/2016 03:14:05 pm

I also walked my dog by this scene, in my case on 1-6. My impression was that the foot/talons are way too small for an adult Great Horned Owl. It would have to have come from a smaller raptor.

A wide ring around the tree is trampled down. Since this is a favorite tree for raptors, it's probably checked frequently for leftovers by the land animals.

Patrick

1/7/2016 01:47:59 pm

Great horned owl.

Gisela

1/7/2016 02:14:45 pm

Mara Mcdonald, who consulted her network, also confirms.
"Mike McDowell, Katie Fitzmeier and Arian id’d the feathers as Great Horned Owl.
Feather matching:

http://www.fws.gov/yreka/ES/FeathersandVocals/GreatHornedOwl.jpg "

Mike McDowell

1/8/2016 09:48:15 am

My original comments to Mara:

"The feathers appear to be from a Great Horned Owl. I thought the foot looked too small, but Adrian Lesak disagreed. Katie Fitzmier also said Great Horned Owl."

Arlene Koziol

1/8/2016 05:28:58 am

I sent the pictures of the Lakeshore Preserve “nature crime” to Dave Willard,Bird Collections Manager Emeritus, and Josh Engel, Bird Research Assistant, at the Field Museum in Chicago. Below are their responses.
“I’d guess Great Horned Owl, but I think it could also be Long-eared (the foot looks on the small side). I'm not at the museum today to compare feathers. Dave would probably know better than I would, so I'm copying him.”
Josh
“Tom [Gnoske] and I think Long-eared. The foot size compared to the glove seems impossible for GHO, and the delicate, curved talons seem to0 match Long-eared better as well. Not 100% certain, but feel pretty confident.”
--Dave

Mariah Myers

2/23/2016 11:35:31 am

An update to this area of the Preserve..Over the last month, I have seen and heard only barred owls around Frautschi Point and the Big Oak Trail, including perched in the very tree where this scene occurred. I don't know of any long-eared owls in the Madison area but, there are Great Horned Owls that nest at the Preserve (frequently heard/seen near biocore prairie). My thoughts are that the feathers had more golden color and pattern that match more closely to GHO compared to barred owl. However, the size of the foot/talon indicate a much smaller owl. To me, the evidence points towards a young GHO.

Richard Seguin

2/23/2016 12:20:57 pm

A young GHO at that time of year would probably already be at close to full adult size, and certainly way, way bigger than the foot/talon indicated, so it couldn't have been a GHO. My impression was that the talons would be good for mouse or chipmunk sized animals, and not much larger. Unfortunately, the evidence now seems to be gone.

Rinnk9 link

1/7/2021 11:52:39 am

WOW !!!! very interesting post .brilliant, thank you so much. I like your post.

Nature "crime" scene at Frautschi Point

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