Out Madaket way, a row of arbor vitae had been cut back recently because they were crowding the road. Underneath were dozens of bodies. Was it the work of a serial killer? No, some owls had been feeding.
Pellets are what these regurgitated masses of prey vomited up by birds are called. A number of species expel pellets, but owl pellets are the best known. Since owls often eat in the same place night after night, the pellets can pile up, and, in addition, their digestive juices aren’t as strong as, for instance, diurnal raptors, so bones are preserved whole.
And sharp as in these mouse jaws. Owls hack up entire skeletons along with the fur of their meal. The pellets are regularly used in both school biology classes for dissection and by biologists studying owl predation.
At the beginning of the new year, I will be presenting a series of posts about owls right here in Brooklyn (oh, yes) and maybe some of those other boroughs, too. Stay tuned for “Owl Week.”
Remains of the night
15 responses to “Remains of the night”
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[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Nature Blog Network, Matthew Wills. Matthew Wills said: Blog post: Remains of the night: Out Madaket way, a row of arbor vitae had recently cut back because they were c… http://bit.ly/e253LW […]
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Alas, poor mousey … Okay, you MUST be back in Nantucket, yes? What a thrilling find. Looking forward to more owl posts. Do you know Bruce Yolton at UrbanHawks.com? He has been posting lovely photos and video of what appears to be the sole remaining eastern screech owl in Central Park. He also posted photos & video of a Northern Saw-whet owl in the park a week or so ago. You might enjoy.
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I was on Nantucket for Thanksgiving, now back home in Brooklyn (the vagaries of blogging schedules, or non schedules…). Bruce’s excellent site is a great place to go for raptors diurnal and nocturnal.
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One December when I was visiting my parents there was a barred owl regularly hanging out over their driveway — made for easy pellet collection. We found lots of little bones but never whole skulls. Very cool!
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That owl pellet is amazing. Picture here worth only slightly more than your words.
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[…] Most birding is done by day, when most birds are active. A good thing, if you like birding. After all, it’s nigh impossible to see in the dark. Unless you’re owl. So it’s more likely that you’ll see see signs of owl before you ever see an owl. Owls gulp their prey whole and then later throw up pellets of undigested fur, feathers, and bones. Many people may remember these pellets from biology classes, where they are dissected to analyze the contents. The wetter, fresher, ones look rather turd-like; the older, dryer ones are softer and furrier. The one pictured, formerly a mole or shrew or mouse, was found in the New York Botanical Garden. (Here are some I found last Thanksgiving outside the city.) […]
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[…] See also all the jaw bones in owl pellets. […]
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[…] know what I mean. When I notice this in the shade of a street lamp:It looks awfully pellet-like. Owls are the most well-known pellet producers, regurgitating compressed packages of undigestible bone, fur, feathers, scales, husks, etc., but […]
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[…] usual business with screaming Blue Jays, I scanned the ground below her. Owls are famous for their pellets — I have some in my freezer, long story — but all raptors and some other birds, like gulls, spit them up; they’re just not as […]
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Reblogged this on Backyard and Beyond and commented:
Owl Pellets: this 5th anniversary highlight reminds me I have a bunch of these in the freezer still…
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Great minds… I still have one in my freezer too.
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These pictures belongs to you ?, Can I use the first one for a publication in a facebook page?. Obviously putting your information in the caption.
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Yes, these are my photos, and yes, you may use the first one if you link back to the original. Thank you for asking.
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[…] a-plenty, in fact, but no skulls. The last time I found a good patch of pellets, there were lots of skulls. Some owls will eat the head first, then the body later. Inch scale here.And this one with the long […]
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[…] in chunks — bones, fur, feathers, and all. The indigestible parts are spit back up in these pellets. Other raptors, gulls, kingfishers, etc., also hawk up pellets, but owls are best known for the […]
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