> Chris Hill writes:
> Owling tips: Pick a quiet night, and find a road where you can escape
> traffic noise. Try a few spots - if you get an answer at 1/3 of the
> places you try, that's very good, so try half a dozen before giving up.
> And for Barred Owls, be sure to stick around for at least 10 minutes after
> you start hooting. They always seem to come in and sit silently for a
> long time before responding.

Reminds me of the time Mike Smith and I went to the NE Cascades (for last
years Thunder Mtn. tour). We drove into the Long Swamp (?) campground at
about 5000 feet, and, there on a fence post, about 4 feet above the
ground and 30 feet away, was a Great Gray Owl. We gawked at it with the
binos and the spotting scope for awhile, then decided to try an
experiment. We played the Great Gray Owl tape to it. It looked straight
at us for about 30 seconds, and then, without uttering a sound, flew
quietly away in the other direction.

Kelly Cassidy
WA Coop. Fish&Wildlife Research Unit
Box 357980
University of Washington
Seattle, Washington, 98195
kelly at u.washington.edu