Tweeters:
Some of us would KILL for even a glimpse of Boreal Owl. Charlie Wright and
I were given very good instructions about calling and trying to see them up
in the boreal forest near Tiffany Mt. north of Winthrop. We were told to
play a tape of the call at areas w/ spruce and w/ running water. The owl is
supposed to answer with a "Skieuw" call. We had been given some exact
locations where they had been seen or heard in the past. But the logistics
of traveling at night when you are tired, seeing where you are going,
staying warm, playing a tape, and being ready w/ a bright light in case you
hear them is extremely difficult. I can see that this could be an real
challenge. Congratulations to Andy and to the Spokane folks up near
Sullivan Lake in the NE corner of the state (where they also saw a Northern
Hawk Owl).
Enviously yours,
Carol Schulz
DesMoines
linusq at worldnet.att.net

-----Original Message-----
From: Andy Stepniewski <steppie at nwinfo.net>
To: TWEETERS <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Cc: Dick <mholm at vip.net>
Date: Wednesday, October 11, 2000 10:44 PM
Subject: BOREAL OWLS IN WESTERN YAKIMA COUNTY, WA- 11 OCTOBER 2000


>Tweeters,
>
>Adrizzly morning cleared into a calm and warm afternoon, prompting me to
>hatch a plan to go after Boreal Owls this evening. Ellen and Denny
>Granstrand, and I left his home in Yakima at 5:30 PM; we arrived just above
>Clover Flats Campground along the upper Middle Fork of Ahtanum Creek an
hour
>later at the 6,000' level on the east shoulder of Darland Mountain in
>western Yakima County.
>
>At dusk we played the primary call of the Boreal Owl and within a few
>minutes had at least two birds in nearby Subalpine Fir and Whitebark Pines
>uttering their typical "Skieuw!" call, occasionally one bird uttering the
>mournful "Moo-a!" call. I strongly suspected Boreal Owl, but wanted visual
>confirmation. Patience paid off and within 15 minutes, both Denny and I had
>a good view of a Boreal Owl through a small window in the fir branches with
>a spotlight. Unfortunately, Ellen couldn't see into this area of the tree
>from her vantage. Denny and I were elated; it was a county bird for both of
>us and, apart from Randy Hills sightings from the nearby North Fork of the
>Ahtanum, only the third report for the county.

>We decided to make one more try for Boreal Owl amidst dense firs in the
>campground proper, in hopes Ellen would get a look. We heard a response
>shortly after playing the tape, but, as the moon was rising and full (or
>nearly so), I feared the owls would be skittish and not come in. After a
few
>minutes of only distant "skieuws," then silence, I suggested we bag it and
>head on home. Denny, panned the spotlight one last time and suddenly
>exclaimed "There it is!" We then had at least two, possibly three minutes
of
>point-blank range views of a Boreal Owl in plain view - not 25' away! It
was
>an "All Field Marks" study: a medium-sized (that of a Western Screech-Owl,
>earless owl, with a distinct blackish border to its facial disk on a white
>face, and light-colored bill. Now this was too much! Never have I had such
>perfect looks at Boreal Owl, especially with so little effort. Maybe the
>countless nights of fall owling in the Okanogan are finally paying off;
>this may be an acquired skill.
>
>Together with the fairly recent discovery of Boreal Owls at Sunrise (a very
>local "Snowshadow" of Mt. Rainier), also in the Okanogan Highlands (where
>breeding was proven in 1992), and northeastern (the Selkirks) and
>southeastern (the Blues) mountains of Washington, it's becoming evident
this
>species may not be uncommon as a resident in "Continental" subalpine
forests
>of the state. These are distinctly drier than the snow-smothered "Snow
>Forests" of Mountain Hemlock that typify the Cascade crest generally in
>Washington. In these maritime forests, Boreal Owls would be expected only
>rarely in my opinion, and perhaps not at all as breeders.
>
>Andy Stepniewski
>Wapato WA
>steppie at nwinfo.net
>
>
>
>
>