W
ayne Mollhoff of Ashland
approaches life with vigor
and curiosity. He does
a lot of running, both literally and
figuratively. Much of the retired Army
lieutenant colonel's running since
retirement has been directed toward
Nebraska's bird life – and, in recent
years, an owl just seven inches long
has been getting most of his attention.
For about three decades, Mollhoff
has been volunteering to research and
gather information about Nebraska's
avian species. One of his largest efforts
was in 1984-1989 when he recruited
"an army" of 125 people from across
the state to compile information for
the first Nebraska Breeding Bird Atlas.
The process and resulting document,
which was updated in 2006-2011,
has been a valuable resource to state
wildlife managers and birders.
While a lot was learned from the
atlas, one species in particular that
wasn't found breeding in Nebraska
piqued Mollhoff's interest most: the
northern saw-whet owl.
Birders have long known that saw-
whets can be found in Nebraska.
Compared to many other bird species
in the state, however, there has
been little documentation about the
diminutive owl. With a small body,
large head, and cat-like face it ranks
pretty high on the cute meter, even if
its nocturnal, reclusive nature makes
it difficult to study. The saw-whet is
said to get its peculiar name from its
"tooting" call that sounds something
similar to an old steel saw being
sharpened with a file. They use their
incredible hearing to precisely locate
prey – mainly small mammals such as
deer mice.
Despite the lack of confirmation,
birders have long suspected saw-whet
breeding in Nebraska.
Mollhoff said the first evidence of
nesting by saw-whets in the state was
a second-hand account relayed in 1899
at the first Nebraska Ornithologists'
Union meeting. An attendee of that
conference wrote in a research paper
that he was told of a set of five saw-
24 NEBRASKAland • JULY 2015
Story and photos by Justin Haag
Saw What?
An Ashland man
has logged many
miles studying
birds in Nebraska.
In 2014, he
met his goal of
documenting a
northern saw-whet
owl nest – a first for
the state.
Wayne Mollhoff of Ashland holds a
northern saw-whet owl chick near West
Ash Creek southeast of Crawford. The
chick hatched in one of 27 nesting boxes
that Mollhoff placed in nine counties.
Baby Saw-whets in Nebraska
