Sept., 1907 SOME COLORADO NOTES ON ROCKY MOUNTAIN SCREECH OWL 



145 



When the young have left the nest, the parents join the brood among the 

 trees and during the late summer and early fall are seldom seen owing to their 

 quiet and seclusive habits; but as the cold, frosty nights approach the birds prepare 

 the numerous cavities with warm linings of feathers of the smaller birds, and it is 

 in these cosy winter homes 

 that Megascops is found thru- 

 out severe weather. 



The birds are of a rather 

 solitary nature and rarely 

 more than one pair is found 

 in a grove, thruout which 

 will be seen extensive evi- 

 dences of their occupancy. I 

 have never found two nests 

 within a half mile of each 

 other and ordinarily they will 

 be separated by twice that 

 distance. 



The range of this sub- 

 species as near as can be as- 

 certained has its southern 

 limit in the vicinity of Colo- 

 rado Springs, where Mr. C. 

 E. Aiken, the discoverer of 

 Meg'ascops asio aikeni, con- 

 siders them as regular winter 

 residents, being replaced 

 from there south by M. a. 

 aikeni. Both Dennis Gale 

 and W. W. Cooke state that 

 M. a. maxxueUoe rarel}^ as- 

 cends higher than 6000 feet, 

 which would preclude the 

 possibility^ of its extending 

 more than a few miles up 

 into the foothills, and the 

 most easterly record is re- 

 corded by Cooke as "30 

 miles out on the plains", 

 probably referring to the 

 lyoveland, Colorado, record of 

 to Bendire, is Fort Custer in 

 record, I believe still stands, 

 a foothills form, inhabiting 



YOUNG NEARLY FULL-FLEDGED ROCKY MOUNTAIN 

 SCREECH OWLS 



W. G. Smith. The northern limit, 

 southeastern Montana, which tho a 



according 

 very early 



From this it will be seen that maxwellce is strictly 

 a long, narrow strip of country running in a 



general north and south direction and closely adhering to the base of the eastern 



foothills of the Rocky Mountains. 



Denver, Colorado. 



