Wisconsin Ornithology
This series highlights several of my favorite birds, all of which can be found in Wisconsin. I have found all of the birds included in the series (with one exception). Each cache is somehow related to the highlighted bird. In many cases you will find hints to finding the cache in the information provided about each bird. Each cache is hidden in roughly the environment the bird can be found. None of the caches are hidden in a nesting box or a fake nest (with one exception of a very non-standard nest), so if you find a nest or nesting box—please leave it alone it has nothing to do with the cache.
Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)
The Great Horned Owl has the largest range of any owl in the Americas and one of the most extensive ranges of all birds in the Americas. It can be found from the subarctic in the north all the way to Tierra del Fuego in the south with a number of notable exceptions, such as the Caribbean Islands and most of the Amazon Jungles. While found in an incredible range of habits, the Great Horned Owl avoids the most extreme regions, such as the high mountains, tundra, dense jungles, and the deep desert.
The Great Horned Owl is the largest owl in South and Central America and in North America only the Snowy Owl is larger. During the First Gulf War, the Iraqis reportedly called the Stealth Fighter the owl. This comparison is accurate, especially with the Great Horned Owl, as this owl is built for stealth and is equipped with a number “high tech” surveillance features. It hunts almost exclusively at night and uses these stealth features to locate and kill its prey without warning. Its wings are especially feathery allowing for silent flight. Unlike all other species of birds, the owl has forward facing eyes (like humans) allowing for binocular vision and superb depth perception. In addition, its eyes are almost as large as human eyes and provide for excellent night vision. While the owl cannot move its eyes, it is able to rotate its head 270 degrees. Its ears are offset which allows it to surpass humans in the ability to determine the location of sound, especially in terms elevation (up or down). Incidentally, the “horns” of the Great Horned Owl are not ears or horns, but simply tufts of feathers. Once it locates is victim it silently swoops in, typically catching its prey by the neck. Its strong feet then apply as much as 300 psi of pressure to its victims usually snapping the spinal cord.
In addition, to being at home in a wide range of habits, the Great Horned Owl will eat practically anything that moves that is smaller than itself. It has been known to eat insects, fish, reptiles, and birds. However, 80-90 percent of its diet are small mammals, such as mice, rats, rabbits, squirrels, weasels, bats, and armadillos. The smallest of these animals, the owl will eat whole. Larger prey is eaten in pieces. The Great Horned Owl will occasionally go after even larger prey such as Great Blue Herons, Osprey, small deer, and at least on one occasion a bobcat. This very large prey can serve as meals for several days. Surprisingly the Great Horned Owl will go after porcupines and skunks with seeming impunity. In fact, the Great Horned Owl is the only animal to routinely kill skunks. Some Great Horned Owl feed so many skunks to their young that a nest can be smelled more easily than it can be seen and the aroma can remain for over a year.
The Great Horned Owl does not make its own nest, but takes over the use of the nest of another large bird or squirrel. It is comfortable nesting in trees, cliffs, buildings, rocks, and even on the ground. Great Horned Owls begin looking for a mate in late fall with breeding occurring in January and February. The female will incubate the eggs alone and rarely leave the nest during the approximately month long incubation period. During this time the male will hunt and feed the female. He will continue to feed both her and the young owls for the first two weeks after hatching at which point the female begins to hunt again. The owlets leave the nest after six weeks, but will remain near the nest for another week. The young owls are awkward fliers for several months and will remain close to the parents until the beginning of the next year’s breeding season.
This cache is in New Glarus Woods State Park. A current Wisconsin State Parks sticker (hourly, daily, or yearly) is required for all parked vehicles. The park is closed to non-campers from 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Do not hunt for this cache during those hours.
The Cache is not at the Posted Coordinates
This is a Night Cache
You may find an owl at the posted coordinates, but there is no cache. To find the cache you will need to follow these directions:
1. At the posted coordinates turn to the west and walk 100 feet around a structure that might attract your kids' attention. You will find a maintained trail on your right (north).
2. Turn your flashlight on. Follow the trail of Fire Tacks. Some maybe low and some a little higher.
3. A set of four Fire Tacks mark the location of the actual cache. This location is about 40-50 feet off of the trail. There is a large fallen tree that leads from trail to the cache. Parents of children and cachers wearing short pants be aware there some small thorn bushes between the trail and the cache. Walking on the fallen tree might help avoid the thorns. If you start heading seriously uphill or start seeing numbered posts, you have gone too far.
There is an unregistered travel bug for the first to find.
Please do not take the stamp.
You will need to bring your own ink pad if you wish to use the rubber stamp.