This afternoon at 5pm the Barred owl seen on the 26th was seen again, this
time in plain sight on a Maple branch behind my house. It stayed there until
6pm then moved even closer, to the cedar directly in front of the picture
window in my living room. I called over some neighbors and we all got
fabulous, eye level looks at this most accommodating Barred Owl, perched 8
feet in front of us. The kids decided to name it George, and it seemed very
unconcerned that there were so many spectators so close. We all got to watch
him suddenly crouch, take a few steps towards the end of the branch and
launch off the cedar to the pond, 15 feet below, with both talons fully
extended. This time, unlike the 26th, the owl did not get the frog. However,
I did get some pictures this time, which are posted at
http://www.nonprofitpages.com/nica/Owlshot.htm

After missing the frog, the owl flew up back to its very viewable perch,
then it went after a song sparrow on the arbor, which is 3 feet from the
kitchen window. It missed this also, and after a few minutes, it headed out
of view. I had spent the afternoon searching the woods for a snag big enough
to hold a nest but have not yet found it. Tomorrow I will search the
opposite area of the woods.

Rob Sandelin
South Snohomish County at the headwaters of Ricci Creek
Sky Valley Environments <http://www.nonprofitpages.com/nica/SVE.htm>
Field skills training for student naturalists
Floriferous at msn.com



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