Yesterday, Sept. 17, Bunny and I were returning from an exploration of
Scout Lake west of Snoqualmie Pass (south of I-90). About 7 P.M. we were
travelling along road 55, 0.1 mile west of the bridge over the Snoqualmie
R. (I-90 exit 47) when Bunny said stop! There on a low branch next to the
road was an owl, about 20 ft. from the car window. We grabbed our
binoculars and noted all the critical features. We then backed away so I
could get my new Geographic Guide from the trunk. Then drove back to the
patient owl and tried to sort out the above distinction with the critter
facing away - no chest or belly plumage visible. Although we could see
the face clearly as the owl watched us, and could almost count the
feathers on the back, without a front view the Guide wasn't definitive.
After I gave my best rendition of the "Who cooks for you..." Barred call
the owl turned its head away from us and, I believe, shook a bit. I think
it was laughing! We then stepped out of the car to see if we could
encourage it to turn around and show its striped (or not) lower breast
feathers. This finally flushed it without a definitive diagnosis.
Our best bet is that it was a Barred. Peterson shows a dark brown
face on the Spotted and a gray face on the Barred. This face was gray.
They look more similar in the Geographic. Barred and Spotted almost
identical in the Golden Guide from the rear. A dark brown line over the
top of the head from the forehead is suggested for the Barred in the All
The Birds of North America guide, and this we saw. The photo in Stokes
suggests the same line for the Spotted.
Does anyone who has seen a bunch of these two owls have a secret
to a definitive separation of them from the back, in spite of perfect
front views of the face thanks to the 360 degree neck design. And how
about the location? Barreds more likely in the hardly old growth forest
of the upper Snoqualmie area? I saw Barreds when they first entered the
state in its northeast corner many years ago, but none recently. I've
never seen a spotted, as far as I know!
Many thanks, Fran Wood