In a message dated 6/27/2002 6:59:58 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
dennis.rockwell at gte.net writes:

> Haven't been there in a couple of years myself, but from what I've been
> told, the Spring Creek area has recently been so extensively logged that
the
> GREAT GRAY OWLS are history in that location. Does anyone have current
> information regarding same ?

On May 18th of this year, my husband and I watched one for about 1/2 hour
app. a mile up Spring Creek Rd. People who had told us about that area all
mentioned "a GG owl had been there for several years." No one had mentioned
nesting, but I don't want to read too much into their use of the singular.
We didn't see any signs regarding nests, but we weren't there very long.

The area doesn't appear to be extensively logged, but rather selectively cut.
There are still a lot of dead and dying trees in that whole area. I had
read a few years ago that beatles had been slowly killing the trees, but
those same beatles were attracting many woodpeckers. Two years ago in early
May we went to the same place to look for woodpeckers, but between 8-10am we
heard and saw absolutely nothing except one deer. At the time I had wondered
if the area had been sprayed. This May, at 8pm, that area was far more alive
with sounds and flutterings. "Newer" trees appeared to be healthy with some
almost as tall as the older pines.

Jan Watson
Rochester, WA