Hello, Tweets

Perhaps my mystery owl calling in the night is a Clark's nutcracker! Just
kidding, but I wish I knew what was there. I've had screech owls nesting
on and off in the densely wooded ravine behind my house, but never heard
them make those noises. What I heard, which I didn't describe before, was
a somewhat high-pitched, short note given usually singly, sometimes 2-3
times at once. It *was* a bird since the noise, along with its location
moved and, I would guess there was more than one. So, they/it are/is still
a mystery. But no wheezing sounds!

On the subject of birds on fence posts, a year ago June, when in the Salt
Lake City area for the HMANA conference, one of the field trips went to the
Tooele, Rush, and Skull valleys west of the city. Weather was a
hodge-podge of dramatic thunder storms, heavy rain, clearing and sun, and
everything in between. At 1245 in the Skull Valley just after some heavy
rain, the bus stopped on a gravel road between two fields. On the one side
a large herd of inquisitive cows lined up to watch the droves of people
debark, never leaving the whole half hour we were there, while on the other
side, on every fence post within sight almost, were over 200 Swainson's
hawks which had evidently been patiently waiting for the end of the rain
and lightning. Quite a sight!

Diann MacRae
Bothell
tvulture at halcyon.com