Hi all,
Last night my daughter Martha and I camped out at an old-growth site in
the western Cascades of Linn Co., which has been home to nesting Spotted
Owls. Since the weather was so warm & clear I decided to just sleep out
under the stars -- which turned out to be exceptionally bright due to
the new moon.
At midnight I was woken by a male Spotted Owl that seemed to be hooting
from just 20 m or 30 m or so back in the forest. He gave just one series
of hoots, then stopped. I stayed awake and listened for the next 15
minutes or so, but I didn't hear him again, nor did I hear a female
respond. Martha thought she might have heard him one other time in the
night.
A little before 4 AM I woke again to the call of an owl that flew in
to a tree right on the edge of the forest. After a couple of
introductory calls, he launched into the characteristic BARRED OWL
sequence "Who cooks for you?" and was quickly answered by another BARRED
OWL about 100 m away.
Within thirty seconds the second Barred Owl flew in, and I watched the
two of them flying back and forth over an opening in the trees,
silhouetted against the pre-dawn sky. The first owl seemed to win the
confrontation, and flew back to perch in a tree almost directly over my
sleeping bag, and proclaim his territory once again as the top owl in
that patch of forest.
Ten years ago I might have thought it was fun to see Barred Owls, but
there was no joy in seeing two Barred Owls right in the middle of a
Spotted Owl's territory.
According to a professional owl surveyor who I met at the same site a
year ago, last year a Spotted Owl pair was present but apparently didn't
nest, due to proximity of Barred Owls. It seems to be worse this year.
Good birding,
Joel
--
Joel Geier
Camp Adair area north of Corvallis
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