| Long-eared
Owls are seen in Dutchess County two out of three years, usually
in winter. We have found roosts of 18 birds, once in
1967-68 and again 1971-72, but these owls are generally seen
singly. The last confirmed nesting was in 1974 at Salt
Point.
The
photo at right was taken in 1903 by L.S. Horton and published
on page 18 of the Jan-Feb 1904 issue of Bird-Lore.
The text below the photo reads as follows:
The
nest was in a maple tree about twenty-five feet from the
ground. The picture was secured by fastening the camera
in an ash, about six feet away, attaching sixty feet of
tubing, and on the return of the parent Owl, making a 20-second
exposure. While the camera was being removed the owls
vigorously attacked the intruder, coming to within three
feet of his head, or, alighting on a nearby limb with ruffled
feathers and drooping wings, uttering a loud, cat-like mewing.
 Click
on image to enlarge (91KB) 
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In February 2004, five Long-eared
Owls were found
in central Dutchess. 
