Page 14 - Clear Lake Mirror Reporter E-Edition 11-18-2015

OutdoorsPage 14 • Nov. 18, 2015
Fall Raptor migration offers
lesson in avian diversity
A migrating red-tailed hawk scans for prey atop a north Iowa power pole.
by Lowell Washburn
The annual fall migration of
raptors -- eagles, hawks, falcons,
and ospreys -- is one of Iowa’s most
popular wildlife shows. Regardless
of whether the habitats are grassland,
forest, marsh, or open lake; there is
no natural ecosystem that will not
be visited by traveling birds of prey
during the next several days.
Humans have long been intrigued
with the speed and courage of our
winged hunters. Unfortunately, fewer
human admirers seem to appreciate, or
even notice, the unique specializations
of individual species – specializations
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are birds of the open skies. Equipped
with long wings and short tails, these
Top Gun speedsters make their living
by out flying and capturing everything
from shorebirds and teal to doves and
pigeons.
An osprey dines on a fish at Clear Lake’s By contrast, the woodland hawks
Baptist Camp. [called accipiters] are characterized
that allow each bird to successfully by pheasant-like short wings and
occupy the niche it holds. It’s one of long tails which allow greater
our best lessons in “avian diversity”. maneuverability through extremely
Peregrine falcons, for example, dense cover. Although three
accipter species [the Cooper’s hawk,
sharp-shinned hawk, and northern
goshawk] may occur in Iowa during
fall and winter, only the Cooper’s is a
year round resident. Denizens of the
deep forest, accipiters are known for
short and explosive bursts of speed.
All three species are savage and fearless by Lowell Washburn
hunters, and all are capable of easily
taking prey exceeding their own body
weight. During recent years, Cooper’s
hawks have been learning to exploit
urbanized landscapes where abundant
populations of pigeons and starlings
Dr. Nick McColley provide an easy meal.
Palmer Graduate Hunting tactics for the sturdily
built red-tailed hawk are a bit more
philosophical. Instead of relying on
speed and dash, red-tails take a more
patient approach as they lazily perch
atop power poles or along the leeward
edge of farm groves. Once prey is
spotted – anything from mice to
snakes to rabbits – the hawk calculates
the situation and executes the attack.
Red-tailed hawks may also
soar above open landscapes were
they locate prey from great heights.
Historically, soaring red-tails homed
in on the billowing smoke of prairie
fires where they capitalized on heat
displaced, small mammals. In more
recent times, red-tails have learned
to apply the same principle as they
follow the farmer’s combine to take
advantage of fleeing rodents.
Bald eagles and ospreys are the
only migrating raptors that depend
For Work or Fun on catching fish. A few seasons ago,
I witnessed a rare event that may have
made me the only Iowa falconer to
ever eat a fish that was captured by an
osprey. I was driving along Clear Lake’s
South Shore Drive when a plump 19-
inch channel catfish fell from the clear
October sky and landed on pavement
in front of my truck. Hitting the
brakes, I jumped out of the vehicle
and rushed to the still squirming fish.
Turning my gaze upward, there was
nothing but open blue sky. Picking
up the fish, I immediately saw the
deep talon punctures across its back.
As near as I could determine, an
osprey had just caught the fish and
was coming off the lake to look for a
dining perch. Another raptor, most
likely a bald eagle, had attempted to
Two rob the osprey [happens all the time]
50 lb. bags which culminated in the prize ending
up on the yellow line of South Shore
$1000 Drive. What isn’t speculation is the
fact that we enjoyed a good laugh that
see store for delivery evening as we savored our free catfish
details dinner.
Enjoy more wildlife tales online at
Washburn’s Outdoor Journal at
iawildlife.org/blog.
Grissom says…
Don’t forget the spare.
Getting a flat tire and
discovering that your spare
is also flat is a miserable
experience. Inspect your
spare as you would your other
tires. If you have a compact
spare, the inflation pressure
will usually be written on the
tire. If your car comes with a
compressor and/or flat
repair kit in lieu of a
spare, check their
operation
regularly.
Legends of the Fall --- Iowa 8-point bucks. -Photo by Lowell Washburn.
Home Wrecker
High, wide and handsome:
Once-in-a-lifetime bucks drive
hunters to obsession
Home Wrecker. That’s how my
friend Brandon Stark has labeled the
monstrous white-tailed buck currently
haunting our local woodlands. The
handle stuck, and now it’s the name
everyone is using when referring to
this nerve shattering, four legged
antlered giant.
High, wide, and handsome;
Home Wrecker is the kind of buck
that deer hunters dream of. By high,
wide and handsome, I mean HIGH,
WIDE, and HANDSOME – a high
tined, wide framed, heavy antlered
brute that, if you ever saw him in a
painting, you’d likely criticize the
artist for taking his imagination
to somewhere beyond the point of
reason.
He’s called Home Wrecker
because he is the kind of a once-in-a-
lifetime buck that drives formerly sane
hunters to the point of obsession – a
deer that causes normally responsible
guys to spend time sitting in a tree
when they should be doing chores
at home, changing oil in the car, or
attending parent/teacher conferences.
When added together, these sudden
changes in behavior can lead to some
lively discussions at the supper table. DNR State Forest Nursery
Oh yeah, I forgot. Antler obsessed
deer hunters don’t usually make it
home in time for supper. See what I
mean? That’s why Home Wrecker is
such an appropriate title.
Until recently, Home Wrecker
only existed as shadowy nighttime
images captured by strategically
placed trail cameras. But as the
November rut goes into overdrive,
the mythical beast has begun moving
about in broad daylight – or so I’m
told. I’ll admit that I haven’t actually
seen Home Wrecker for myself – yet.
But I have been shown a couple of
those trail ‘cam photos. One of the
pics shows the deer cruising in the
near vicinity of where I often sit. I’m
sitting there now, in fact, writing these
notes as I quietly watch and wait.
The legendary deer I have yet
to see in person has already exacted
a heavy toll on my archery season.
Hoping to have my own up close
and personal encounter with Home
Wrecker, I’ve already passed on some
easy shots at lesser bucks – including
two nice 8-pointers; one at eight feet
and another at eight yards. By ‘easy
shots’ I mean totally motionless bucks
standing fully broadside in the wide
open. As the month progresses, I’m
already beginning to second guess the
wisdom of those choices.
The fact of the matter is that I’m
a hard core trophy deer hunter. That
is, right up until the moment I’m not.
I love sitting in the woods watching
deer. I especially love watching big
deer, and the November rut offers
a brief window in time when those
normally nocturnal mature bucks can
offers fast growing tree
packet for limited time
There is an ancient Chinese
proverb that states: “The best time
to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The
second best time is now.”
While the Iowa DNR State Forest
Nursery cannot help you go back in
time 20 years and plant a tree; with its
Fastest Forest Specialty Packet it can
offer the next best thing. The Fastest
Forest packet includes selected species
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These include silver maple, river birch,
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actually be seen during the day. That
doesn’t necessarily mean, of course,
that a hunter will even come close to
getting a shot at one; it just means
that if you spend enough time at it
you’re likely to see some nice bucks.
Having said all that, I should also
mention that I love eating venison.
And if my deer is still on the hoof once
the annual rut has passed its peak:
watch out. Faced with the dismal
prospect of an empty freezer, my deer
hunting standard begins to drop like a
cannon ball rolling from a barn roof.
From then on, I’m looking more at
the size of a deer’s hind quarters than I
am at what – if anything – is growing
from the top of its head.
But for now, at least, patience
reigns. Plenty of deer are still on the
move and anything could happen.
Who knows? Today could be the day.
Maybe the next Home Wrecker photo
will be the one of him and me posing
together. As long as I’m dreaming, I
might as well dream big.
Enjoy more wildlife tales online at
Washburn’s Outdoor Journal at
iawildlife.org/blog
American sycamore, cottonwood,
and hybrid poplar. By ordering this
limited time packet before Nov. 25
receive 250 trees at the price of 200.
Take advantage of this offer by,
calling the State Forest Nursery at
1-800-865-2477 between 8 a.m. and
4:30 p.m. and mention the “Fastest
Forest packet” or go to www.iowadnr.
gov/seedlingcatalog. Landowners pur-
chasing this packet can choose a fall or
spring delivery.
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