Mortality: Up a tree isn’t a normal place to find a deer mouse but this individual had been caught by a northern saw whet owl and as a result, is now bereft of life and stored as a meal for later. Saw whet owls, among other owl species, are known to keep caches, such as these. Caches are storages of food hidden for when resources become scarce such as during frigid cold days and nights when mice and other small mammals are no longer active. In most cases, the cache is stored between 5cm and 28cm (~2-11in) of the owl, for quick access and to keep it safe from scavengers. This individual was unusual in that, not only was the cache not within 28cm but it was in a different tree altogether. This owl’s cache was found two trees, roughly 12 metres, away from the sleeping owl. No other owls were observed in this woodlot suggesting that it belongs to the one saw-wet owl who was fast asleep. Subsequent observations of this individual found that different mice had been stored in the same spot suggesting a healthy population of prey animals.
Sources:
Devine, Arnold, and D G. Smith. "Caching Behaviour by Wintering Northern Saw-Whet Owls, Aegolius acadicus." Semantic Scholar, Canadian Field Naturalist, 1 Oct. 2005, www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Caching-Behavior-by-Wintering-Northern-Saw-Whet-Devine-Smith/3358a8cb19ca6b8ddaacbb5203f0768bbce1f3c3. Accessed 5 Feb. 2022. |