Last night around dusk as I was getting out of my car, I heard one of the
local Douglas squirrels chattering from the woods on the other side of the
fence near my front door. I thought it sounded a bit strange but felt
nothing was too far out of the ordinary until I heard a loud 'whooooaaa'
coming from the same area. I froze, then watched the action unfold over the
next 15 minutes. I saw the first flash of huge wings in the twilight as the
owl swooped down upon the squirrel, then there was silence and no other
movement. I figured the squirrel was toast, but then he surfaced again and
scurried up the trunk of one of the large hemlocks next to the fence. I
breathed a sigh of relief since I'm rather fond of the little guys, but no
sooner had I done that I saw another whoosh of wings as the owl tried again
to snag the squirrel off the tree trunk. The squirrel screamed and scurried
back down the trunk to the safety of the brushy groundcover and disappeared
from my view. I waited to see what would happen next and saw nothing more
except a few brief flashes of wings as the owl flew back and forth between
the tall trees surrounding the area. Darkness had settled in by then and it
was becoming difficult to see much of anything. After waiting and watching
for several more minutes with no more visible action, I finally gathered up
my groceries and briefcase and went inside the house with the thought that
the squirrel was likely still in one piece and the owl was still lurking
about, waiting for the next opportunity to pounce.

I got good looks at a barred owl in the same wooded area a couple weeks ago
in the late afternoon and I've heard him calling periodically over the past
month or so. I figure it's the same bird that has decided to hang around
for awhile. A couple of years ago we hung up a nest box in the woods not
far away; perhaps finally someone has decided to move in.

-jody

Jody Breckenridge
North of Monroe, Snohomish County