Dear Tweets,

Thanks to all of you who gave me a heads up on the location for the Great
Gray Owl, south of Bend, OR. The most impressive part of our visit was the
depth of the snow. Mt. Bachelor is about to break a record of over 20' of
snow and the trail markers for the XC ski trails can just be seen at the
bottom of the tree wells. They've had to tack up another set of markers 10'
above the regular ones. Which brings me to our hunt for the Great Gray Owl
on the Quail Run golf course at Lazy River South - about 5 miles south of
Sun River. Avoiding golfers on the property was not a problem. In fact,
there was over 2' of snow on the course at a time of the year when they are
normally open for golfing. We checked in at the Pro Shop, who quickly
jumped on the fact that we probably weren't there to golf. They directed us
to the Grounds Superintendent, Jim Peterson (541) 536-5728 who was quite
helpful and happy to share information on where to look for the owls.
Heather and I did have the privilege of finding a pair of Great Gray Owls
side by side towards the back side of the property, quite a thrilling sight!

We talked with Jim some more afterwards about the owls and the access for
birders to see them. Given the amount of snow on the grounds currently,
anytime the next month will work out quite well. After that the main
concern is birders getting hit by golf balls and the liability involved.
I'd recommend checking in with the Pro Shop, but Jim says that you'll
probably end up talking to him as he keeps track of the owls. You can find
him in the blue metal building across from the pro shop. He's got a bird
listing going with over 100 birds seen on the property. He's also quite
proud of their rating as an "Audubon certified" golf course. This isn't
the same as the National Audubon Society, but it is an indication that they
are at least concerned about lessening the impact of their work on the
surrounding property.

Good Birding,
Marcus Roening Tacoma,WA
MDR51044 at GlaxoWellcome.com