Andy,

Congrats. You should add Dave Beaudette's observation at Naches Pass in King
County and a "skiew" response I had one October at Naneum Meadows in
Kittitas County.

Gene.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Andy Stepniewski" <steppie at nwinfo.net>
To: "TWEETERS" <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Cc: "Dick" <mholm at vip.net>
Sent: Wednesday, October 11, 2000 10:30 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.
>
> A few minutes later we heard the distinctive chattering call of
> White-fronted Geese overhead, seeming to be coming from the northwest and
> heading southeast. I wondered if these birds were Yukon River delta
breeders
> that had just reached landfall along the northeastern Pacific Ocean after
a
> 2,000 mile flight across the Gulf of Alaska to the coast roughly in
> southwestern Washington or northern Oregon, their ultimate wintering
grounds
> being the Central Valley of California (after crossing the Cascades and
> stopping over at McNary, then Klamath NWR area refuges). The pleasant
> conversational calls of these birds overhead was a nice bonus to an
already
> wonderful evening.
>
> 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
>
>
>
>
>
>