Hi Tweets -

Following a call from Michael Hobbs, I went down to Marymoor late this
afternoon to try and find the Say's Phoebe. Got there about 5:45, and as
I got out of my car there were a couple of crows harassing an owl. The
owl was climbing and got to about 150 feet up. It obligingly banked
several times in good light and was showing dark markings out on the
upper wing (edged lightly with white), and a thin white trailing edge to
the upper wing over most of the wing. The underwings showed a very
prominent dark transverse bar running from the leading edge of the wing
about 1/2 way toward the trailing edge. Good characteristics for
Short-eared Owl.

Walked the east meadow looking for the Say's Phoebe, but there had been
a heavy shower and not much was around. After a couple of passes no sign
of the Say's, but as I was coming back up the trail another owl came in
over the meadow. It circled in and landed in a small stand of trees just
off the trail. Showed the barest hint of a darkish area on the upper
wing, but coloration was fairly uniform with a dark trailing edge. Moved
to where I could see it perched, orangish facial disks, and distinct
longish ear tufts held close to head (but elevated just enough to see
their relative size). Took off and did not show the distinctive dark bar
on the underside of the wing. Markings consistent with Long-eared Owl.

For both owls, I wrote down my observations of features and plumages
before consulting any books. The descriptions matched up with
information included in books (Natl. Geog., Peterson's Western Birds,
Master Guide to Birding, Stokes Western Birds, and All the Birds, plus
Eckerts Owls of North America).

The Long-eared Owl is a new species to Marymoor.

Brian H. Bell
Woodinville WA
bellasoc at isomedia.com