Good morning Grant --

In a message dated 97-01-11 16:01:19 EST, you write:

<< Have you been back to the barn owl spot in Issaquah? I tried a couple
of times last fall, saw fewer pellets, and no owls. >>

Nice to hear from you. Yesterday was way too nice to stay in, so made my
first trip to Lake Sammamish State Park (LLSP) in several months and a 4-hour
walk-about there yesterday. The park was hit pretty hard it seems from the
late December storms. The pine grove roost where the Barn Owls live was hit
particularily hard with pine limbs and broken trees all over the place.
However, I did find the Barn Owls. Way way too easy!! I hadn't even been
in the place for 30 seconds, entering from the NE corner, and when trying to
move the first fallen branch out of the way, one of the owls flushed from the
top of the first tree right overhead, then another from a tree a few feet
away. Nice looks in the sunshine as they flew around, but they were mobbed
by crows instantly. It's too hard to sneak around in there quietly right now
and just getting around is very difficult with all the limbs littering the
floor. Anyway, after about 5 minutes, I decided to leave and just stay out
of there for the rest of this winter (not difficult, I'm leaving again in
early February to at least early June) and perhaps go back sometime this
summer, clear away some of the storm debris once it's set and dried for
awhile, and prepare the area for quiet stealthy visits NEXT winter. Maybe
I'm just being too sensitive with regards to the Barn Owls there, but I don't
want to disturb them and stir up the crows unnecessarily and risk perhaps
chasing the owls out forever.

Otherwise, the park (mid-day) was rather quiet. Six Dunlin on the north
bathing beach were probably most notable. I found myself up to my knees in
the mud at one spot, on that hideous muddy trek to the "Point". The wooden
footbridge is currently closed and access to the north side of Issaquah Creek
and access requires a lengthy 2-mile round trip detour (I didn't go there).
Likewise, I think I'll give any thoughts to Swamp Sparrow stomps a bye this
season. With water levels where they are and the place super soggy, I can't
even imagine trudging out in those deceptive grassy fields south of the boat
launch for awhile.

One species which appears to have been seriously been affected by the late
December snow and ice is the Marsh Wren. I can usually find 20 or more in
favored places, but found only two in those areas yesterday, where normally
just a little bit of pisching stirs up marsh wrens from all over the place as
well as sparrows which were equally scarce.

Richard Rowlett <Pagodroma at aol.com>
Bellevue, WA