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FW: update on owl project



After having seen the follow-up discussion on barred owls, I thought I'd
forward my earlier comments related to barred owl feeding preferences.
Irvin Pitts (ipitts@prt.state.sc.us)

-----Original Message-----
From: Irvin Pitts
Sent: Friday, January 25, 2002 10:55 AM
To: 'Harrold, Eric S'
Subject: RE: update on owl project


I read with interest your e-mail regarding barred owls. I once recovered
and analyzed 27 barred owl pellets from a winter roost in a pine stand
at Pleasant Ridge County Park, Greenville County SC. These pellets were
collected during the fall and winter of 1986 through 1987. I identified
61 animal remains from these pellets - which represented quite a diverse
assemblage.
16 	bats (most, if not all being red bats, Laisiurus borealis)
10	crayfish
8	orthopterans
6	land snails
5	woodland voles (Microtus pinetorum)
5	Peromyscus mice
4	beetles (scarabs)
3	short-tailed shrews (Blarina brevicauda)
2	eastern moles (Scalopus aquaticus)
1	eastern chimpmunck (Tamias striatus)
1	cicada

Concerning urban owls- my brother who lives in downtown Spartanburg, SC
had a problem this past fall with barred owls catching goldfish from his
"garden pond". Two pellets found there had fish scales, as well as the
remains of a robin and house finch.

Irvin Pitts
South Carolina State Parks