Hi tweets,

Just wanted to share a great experience. I was lying awake with a headache
at 1:30 this morning (Saturday, 21 March), when what do I hear from the
wooded ravine out back
but an unmistakeable Barred Owl asking all and sundry "who cooks for
you?" I woke my wife, and we opened the window and heard it hoot several
more times from no more than 100 yards away. We got out the shotgun mike
and tape recorder, but it had shut up by then. After a few more minutes, I
returned the owl's question, but I got no answer. I suspect it was just
passing through this distinctly suboptimal habitat. We've got
some big trees and plenty of rats, so it's not impossible that a Barred
Owl could make a living here, but I suspect it doesn't meet the owl's idea
of good real estate.

This was in the Thornton Creek drainage, north of NE 98th St. and east of
15th Ave. Very exciting to get a new and quite unexpected bird for my yard
list, and it even took away most of the headache!

Those of you in the north end, keep your ears open.

Dennis Paulson