owls – Belmont Citizens Forum

Belmont Boasts Bountiful Owls

Environment, Newsletter, September/October 2025 Comments Off

Aug 262025

by Fred Bouchard Let’s open with, then qualify, two generalizations about Barred, Snowy, and Saw-Whet Owls. Females run a bit larger than males; one might (erroneously) surmise that their voices are somewhat deeper in pitch. Most owls are strictly nocturnal. That said, our first two are crepuscular and diurnal, respectively. Barred Owl (Strix varia) Ubiquitous and crepuscular (active and vocal from dusk to dawn), Barred Owls rank among our easiest woodland owls to see. They tend to roost in outer branches, exposed. They don’t hug trunks for camouflage like Great Horned Owls or snuggle in holes like Screech Owls. Their [READ MORE]

Amateur Owling: Meet the Eastern Screech Owl

March/April 2025, Newsletter Comments Off

Feb 272025

Amateur Owling: Meet the Eastern Screech Owl

By Fred Bouchard Owls have pop cred and cool cachet. These regal predators of the dark hours are icons of wisdom and spookiness: secretive, inscrutable, hair-raising. Kids are drawn to their candid, piercing, surprised eyes. They are harbingers of the occult and the unknown. With feather-soft wingbeats, owls are inaudible in flight, the better to sneak up and snatch unwary prey with razor-sharp talons. Owls’ amazing eyes have huge corneas and pupils. Their retina’s plentiful rods are super-sensitive to light and movement though a paucity of cones limits perception of color. Yes, they really can rotate (not spin) their heads [READ MORE]

Belmont’s Owls are Calling, and Dying

January/February 2025, Newsletter Comments Off

Jan 032025

by Fred Bouchard With its regal size and stern, brow-knit mien, the Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus, GHO) stands as not just a sagacious symbol of wisdom but as a fearsome, widespread nocturnal raptor. Its namesake horns, conspicuous 2-inch erect ear tufts, help triangulate aurally on prey. Aptly called a “tiger among birds” by ornithologist Frank Chapman, these owls once raided chicken coops. Today they are the scourge of smaller birds (even smaller owls) and suburban mammals like rabbits and rodents. And therein lies their unique vulnerability. As apex avian predators, owls—along with hawks and eagles—are subject to being victimized [READ MORE]

BCF Asks State to Suspend SGAR Registration

January/February 2025 Comments Off

Jan 032025

BCF Asks State to Suspend SGAR Registration

The following letter was sent to the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources on December 16, 2024. Dear Members of the Pesticide Board Subcommittee, The Belmont Citizens Forum, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of the environmental quality of Belmont and surrounding areas, strongly supports the suspension of the registration and legal use of Second-Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides (SGARs) in Massachusetts. The Belmont Citizens Forum publishes a bimonthly newsletter that informs residents about local environmental and community issues. Recent editions have featured articles detailing the dangers of SGARs, including their impacts on wildlife, ecosystems, and public health. These articles [READ MORE]

Rodenticides Are Killing Massachusetts Wildlife

Environment, July/August 2024 Comments Off

Jun 252024

Rodenticides Are Killing Massachusetts Wildlife

Will Authorities Step Up? Courtesy of the Harvard Animal Law & Policy Clinic A coalition of Massachusetts residents petitioned the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) in May to suspend the registrations of anticoagulant rodenticide products that are killing eagles, owls, and other wild animals throughout the Commonwealth. The petition—prepared by the Harvard Law School Animal Law & Policy Clinic—was submitted on behalf of bird rehabilitators Erin Hutchings, Jodi Swenson, and Linda Amato of Cape Ann Wildlife in Essex; mammal rehabilitator Jane Newhouse of Newhouse Wildlife Rescue in Chelmsford; Marci Cemenska of Save Lexington Wildlife; James Joyce II and Patricia [READ MORE]

Local Activists Testify to Limit Rat Poisons

Environment, July/August 2023, Newsletter Comments Off

Jun 302023

Local Activists Testify to Limit Rat Poisons

By Allison V. Lenk The morning we arrived to rally in front of the State House, we noticed two hawks circling the Boston Common. People excitedly pointed out when one of the hawks landed on the weathervane atop the Golden Dome of the State House. We optimistically decided it was a sign that the day’s testimony would make a positive difference in the cause to limit the use of second generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) which not only kill their intended target, but also sicken or kill birds of prey, other wildlife, pets, and even threaten the health of children. (See [READ MORE]

Join New Belmont Group Protecting Raptors

Environment, March/April 2023 Comments Off

Mar 012023

Join New Belmont Group Protecting Raptors

By Jeffrey North Eagles, owls, and hawks are dying. Of the 161 Massachusetts raptors tested at Tufts Wildlife Clinic in a study between 2006 and 2010, 86% had poison residues in their liver tissue. And according to the EPA, more than 10,000 kids are poisoned by toxic chemicals left around residences, restaurants, or public parks to poison rats. Take action Proven tactics to address the problem with minimal or no rodenticide use include Integrated Pest Management plans, engaging housing authorities, affecting retail and construction site practices, and a rat poison bylaw. And please support legislation currently before the House (HD [READ MORE]