Through a close friend(a scientist now in software), I learned of two
recent, rather perplexing, owl encounters that I will pass along.

While visiting his mining claim within the past several weeks in the Middle
Fork of the Snoqualmie, a hobbyist rock-hound (my friend's buddy) noticed a
mid-sized owl(which he judged to be a Barred or Spotted Owl, based on close
observation and reference to a guidebook) hanging around a given area and
menacing him(diving at his head) as he walked the area which is wooded with
rock outcroppings along a ridge crest.

On his latest visit to the site(a week or so ago), the rock collector was
walking along the ridge when, out of the corner of his eye, a fast moving
shadow from above struck him in the head. He fell 70 or so feet off the
ridge and had to be air lifted to Harborview. (He is recovering.) While he
will not swear that it was a bird that struck him(a falling rock is another
possibility), he suspects it was the owl that hit him.

In the second event, also within the past ten days, my friend's college age
daughter was mountain bikng with a friend on Tiger Mountain. Along a given
stretch of trail they were harassed by a large owl (GHO,she thinks) which
dove repeated at their heads, striking them once.

My friend called me, half-jokingly but clearly rather disturbed, to report
these incidents of 'killer owls', asking me whether I had any experience
with owl behavior of this sort. He wondered if the owls had
doubled-clutched and were protecting territory late in the season. I told
him I was not aware of double-clutching nor was I familiar with owl behavior
of this type outside the breeding season. I mentioned the aggressive
behavior of goshawks on territory, but that was probably way off point.

Owls may have developed something of a reputation as cat killers, but going
after rock collectors is a rather different matter.

Ike Eisenhart
Seattle
wleisenhart at msn.com