I sent this Monday but it bounced so I'll try it one more time...


On the way home from work last Thursday (Oct 23 - sorry for the long
delay) an owl was flying over the intersection of Northup Way and Lake
Washington Boulevard/Bellevue Way at 6:45 PM. Based on its size
(somewhat larger than a crow but not big enough to be a Great Horned
Owl), shape, and dark tips to underwings, I would say it was either
Short-eared or Long-eared. The wings seemed a bit narrow for
Short-eared and the habitat did not seem quite right (but then I
wouldn't think this was an ideal place to find ANY owl). Also viewing
conditions were not good (low light and lots of testy rush hour traffic
while negotiating a left turn) so I can't be more specific but if anyone
has seen an owl regularly in this location, I would be interested to
hear about it. Otherwise keep a lookout for it.

On an unrelated note, my family went to Anderson Island in South Puget
Sound for the weekend and we ran across a salamander I had never seen
before. That describes most salamanders. It was in the middle of a
trail through a wet second growth (mostly alder) forest. It had a dark
gray-brown back that blended in perfectly with the leaf litter. Its
belly was bright yellowish orange. It was about three inches long with
a fairly flat but wide body. My amphibian book shows a Rough-skinned
Newt that fits this description except it didn't really have a rough
skin. Does anyone know what would be in this area that fits this
description?

Jim Elder
jime at icomamerica.com