Unable to sleep anymore I got up at 0430, looked at obol and political
news, sseing no hope there. I drove to Silver Ridge Road by Silver Falls
State Park near Salem
I listened for Great Gray or other Owls, where Great Gray has been in the
past decades, sometimes. I heard no Owls or any birds until sunrise, then
saw my first DIPPER of the year, in the Park
Back down Silver Ridge Rd at about 0900, just down from State Park land in
some 15 year old Douglas fir reprod I whistled like a Pygmy Owl for a
minute into a few 30-35 y.o. firs in an otherwise pure stand of 15 yo
firs. The only response was some Juncos. Back in the car, within 100
yards I saw a sparrow sized bird fly into the top of a young fir, following
me. It was a NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL. Not rare by any stretch, but not often
seen, it looked at me, then turned its head in an less than an instant to
where its fake eyes on the back of its neck looked at me, too. It went
back and forth like that for a few minutes, each time I whistled like a
Pygmy-owl
Roy Gerig Salem OR
