Bodily excretions can teach the non-squeamish a lot. According to the Bangor Daily News non-squeamish state biologists are asking residents to send them Maine owl vomit.
The vomit comes in the form of pellets, not a liquid mess. The birds kill and eat small creatures such as rodents. Anything undigestible is sent to the bird’s gizzard where it is formed into pellets and then vomited back up.
World wide there are bout 250 types of owls (family strigiformes). As many as 11 of them live or visit Maine.
Maine owl vomit may teach biologists much. The owl population size, and the health of the owls and their prey could be estimated. Owl pellets can be found on the ground near owl roosts. It is hoped that the pellets can help identify owl prey. Pellets may help in conservation of prey animals that may be threatened. The Maine Owl Pellet Project is a cooperative venture between Maine conservation agencies and related federal agencies.
According to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife:
“The Maine Owl Pellet Project is a collaboration between the University of New England, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The study aims to engage the public and promote crowdsourced science to better understand the diet of Maine’s owls. It will study the distribution and composition of the small mammal community on which they prey. Especially the threatened northern bog lemming to inform conservation efforts.” (Edited for clarity)
“With funding support from the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund, beginning in 2023 the project will focus on accomplishing its objectives. These include the challenge of detecting the presence of the state-threatened northern bog lemming (Synaptomys borealis). That mammal is a small, brown rodent that is native to Canada and the northern United States, including the state of Maine. It is listed as a state species of special concern. That lemming is found in wetland habitats, including bogs, fens, marshes, and swamps,’ It feeds on a variety of vegetation. Very little is known about the biology and ecology of the northern bog lemming due to its small size, elusive behavior, and limited distribution.” (Edited for clarity)
Meanwhile, on the other side of the country biologists are wrestling with the question whether to kill one owl to save another. The barred owls who will supply Maine Owl vo,it are welcome in Maine. They are, however, interlopers in the Northwest and maybe massively culled.