8A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL June 29, 2016
F LEAS
c.g.
Continued from page 7A
Daytripper
Owl in the family
BY JON STINNETT
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
I
’d like to tell you about a new family
that’s moved into our neighborhood.
Actually, if neighbors who have lived
nearby for a long time are to be believed,
what my family and I have witnessed as
new arrivals have actually been returning
here for years, and they give the term “snow
birds” a much more literal connotation.
I’d been catching glimpses of them for a
few weeks now, always at twilight, though
their shapes and their strange language was
unlike anything I’d ever heard — until a
chance encounter one evening last week,
that is.
After a long Monday of putting together
yet another edition of the Sentinel, I found
myself walking the short half-mile or so
back downtown to retrieve my work camera
in hopes of catching a shot of the “Straw-
berry Moon,” a rare full moon that occurred
this year on the longest day of the year, the
Summer Solstice. After turning the corner
onto the next block, I heard an unmistak-
able loud screech, a sound that has become
commonplace this time of night. Look-
ing up into the nearby trees, I observed a
large, white bird eyeing me from the tree-
tops, turning its head this way and that as
if to size up its visitor. Suddenly, from the
alley nearby, an identical bird took fl ight,
its impressive wingspan showing itself as it
swooped noiselessly overhead.
A rush of exhilaration overtook me as I
continued my walk into town. Retrieving
the camera, I took several pictures at All-
America City Square and eventually walked
back toward home as the full moon towered
over Cottage Grove, turning all in its gaze
an ethereal shade of silver.
Crossing the railroad tracks, I could al-
ready see another bird perched high on a
telephone pole several blocks away. Return-
ing to the location of the earlier sighting,
I found myself surrounded by no less than
fi ve such birds, the moonlight now illumi-
nating them as they swooped from tree to
tree. Completely in awe of these creatures
and the show they were staging for me alone
on such a magical evening, I stood in the al-
ley for what seemed like an eternity before
sleep eventually beckoned me back home.
There, lying motionless in bed, I heard their
telltale screams continue long into the eve-
ning.
The next morning, frantic Internet search-
ing convinced me that I had encountered a
family of barn owls, or Tyto alba, the most
widely distributed species of owl, which is
found almost everywhere in the world. Their
white, disc-shaped faces help to gather the
sound of the rodents and other prey that they
hunt at night, and each bird is about 13-15
inches in height.
That much was confi rmed to me later
by Betsy Glenn, a biologist with the U.S.
Department of Fish and Wildlife stationed
in Portland who spends much of her time
studying a much rarer species, the Spotted
Owl. Glenn said that barn owls are fairly
acclimated to humans due to their prefer-
ence for living in the structures that give
them their names. This time of year, barn
owls fi nd themselves nesting, and she rea-
soned that I had been seeing a pair of owls
and their young. Young barn owls or owlets
appear almost as big as their parents, Glenn
said, because they’re still covered in a mass
of down, and their nighttime squawking can
be interpreted as a constant and impatient
request for more prey to feed their growing
bodies.
courtesy photo
A still image captured from a recent
video shows a young barn owl out-
side its nest during the daytime.
Glenn said the owls may have been more
active because of the full moon, which I
found easy to believe given my earlier en-
counter. The owls have recovered quite well
from the devastating impacts of DDT and
other pesticides in the 1970s, she said.
Later, I questioned a few neighbors about
the birds, reasoning that they must have
also heard them. It turns out that they have
been nesting in an industrial-type building
a block away for years, returning in about
April to raise another brood. The young will
likely call Cottage Grove their home until
they strike out on their own in about Sep-
tember, Glenn said.
Just about every evening since last Mon-
day, I’ve brought family and friends into
the alley to see these magnifi cent birds, and
we’ve all marveled at the proximity such a
magical creature is willing to share with us.
Over the near-decade I’ve spent in Cottage
Grove, encounters with birds have done
much to illuminate my knowledge of the
changing of the seasons here and the won-
drous balance that can exist between nature
and humankind. Here’s hoping that such en-
counters can provoke a similar connected-
ness for you and your families.
“I would vacuum my house at
least every other day, if not every
day, to suck up fl eas and their
eggs,” says Kachadoorian. “Also
wash the pet’s bedding once a
week with hot, soapy water.”
The most fastidious cleaning
job in the world might not be
enough if your pet already has
fl eas. Persistence in cleaning
and early treatment is the key.
There are a number of adult
fl ea control products available
on the market, including spot-on
topical products that are usually
applied monthly. Some of the
spot-on products also contain
growth regulators that inhib-
it the development of immature
fl ea life stages. Pets can also be
given tablets orally containing
these insect growth regulators.
Flea collars and ultrasonic de-
vices have had limited success,
according to Kachadoorian.
Again, a conversation with your
veterinarian is an important step
to take.
“Most of these products
usually work very well,” says
Kachadoorian.
“They
are
so much more effective than
the old days of putting a dust or
spray on the animal or giving
them a fl ea bath.”
Remember– most of these
products are considered to be
pesticides. Care and caution
is required to use these fl ea con-
trol products because, if used
incorrectly, the pet could have a
bad reaction.
“You need to read that pes-
ticide label very carefully and
make sure you apply the prod-
uct properly as instructed by
the label,” says Kachadoorian.
“The label instructions are
not part of some marketing
gimmick, but are there to protect
animals and ensure that fl eas are
safely killed.”
For example, a product’s la-
bel may say that it is to be used
only on dogs. Some active in-
gredients in products are not
toxic to dogs but may be lethal
to cats; an example would be
permethrin.
Product labels also provide
instructions on the appropriate
age and weight of the animal
being treated.
“There have been instances of
people trying to save money by
purchasing a product meant for
a Great Dane– a large animal–
and then splitting that product
up to treat smaller animals,”
says
Kachadoorian. “Often,
the dosage isn’t right and pets
can develop medical problems or
worse.” Use fl ea combs to pick
up fl eas, fl ea eggs, and ticks on
puppies and kittens that are too
young for fl ea and tick products.
Younger animals and smaller
breeds can be particularly sensi-
tive to insecticides.
If your pet experiences a bad
reaction from a spot-on prod-
uct, immediately bathe the
pet with mild soap, rinse with
large amounts of water, and call
your veterinarian. Ask your vet
to report the reaction through the
National Pesticide Information
Center’s Veterinary Pesticide
Incident Reporting Portal at
<http://npic.orst.edu>, or call
NPIC at 1-800-858-7378.
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350 Washington, Cottage Grove
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942-7934
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