I went tilting at windmills at Marymoor today, both metaphorically in my
search for a barn owl and physically as I tilted my eyes toward the windmill
in which they've been known to roost. I waited until dark for one to
emerge, but to no avail.

I won't complain, however, for earlier -- about 3:30 or so --I was treated
to at least three short-eared owls working the fields. The first one I
spotted landed on a fence post and allowed me to approach (diagonally and
with head lowered) to within twenty yards. I might have been able to get
even closer, but I had all the view I wanted at that range and didn't want
to push my luck. I was struck by just how far his wings extended beyond his
tail. His tail looked so short by comparison that I thought for a while
that it might be damaged. After a while he picked up and was immediately
joined by a second, and after a while I saw a third bird in the distance and
up high. A brief comparison assured me that he had a standard-issue tail.

I watched them for a while and was surprised to see one circling and
soaring. I suppose it shouldn't be surprising given that wingspan, but I'd
never seen one do this before. At one point I timed him at an unofficial 48
seconds between flaps.

They hung around for the balance of the afternoon. I never saw more than
three at one time, but there may have been more.

Jim McCoy
jfmccoy at earthlink.net
Redmond, WA