>One of my pet peeves is the standard statement in many birding books,
>"Common in proper habitat", and with no other group of birds than owls is
>this phrase more over-used. IMHO, owls are among the most difficult of
>birds to find, and with a few exceptions I think they are generally much
>less common than we are led to believe. I have spent many evenings looking
>& calling for owls of various species, and I have seen nearly all of the
>Washington species, but I have come to the following conclusions:

Dave,

I'd have to disagree with you here. On the contrary, I believe owls are
much more common than is commonly believed. Your comment is more true if
you are talking about owls *seen*. Except for Great Horned and Barn, I
rarely actually see the nocturnal species. When I was a kid it seemed like
owls were impossible to find. However, a few years of birding with
experienced birders convinced me that owls are actually very common. Most of
Washington's nocturnal owls are easily found by their vocalizations. Some
species are indeed easily found in the same locations year after year. Maybe
these locations are reported over an over because they are close to
population centers and easily accessible to many birders.

As far as Saw-whets are concerned try tooting along the Teanaway River road
east of Cle Elum in mid March a couple of hours after sunset and you should
be able to hear Saw-whets every quarter mile or so.


Cheers!

Scott

Scott Ray
Yakima, WA
(509) 965-5456