Subject: Eagles too. Newbie intro (RE: Barred Owl photos)
Date: Jan 15 23:32:54 2004
From: Ken Boettger - solowildlander at hotmail.com


I just joined the list. Wow, lots of activity here. And some good stories
too.

Read your notes about the barn owl in Selah (really neat Denny!). I am up in
Ellensburg. Was out the other day and there was a large group of crows and
ravens playing. Or so I thought. Turned out to be two eagles (I didn't have
the binoculars and was busy getting to work related destinations). But there
was a lot of large birds cartwheeling around. In the first minute there were
about half a dozen crows. But the crows were coming from miles around and
within no more than 2 minutes, the two goldens were overwhelmed. They took
shelter in some old cottonwood trees near the Yakima River. Crows eventually
flew off.

The crows seemed so well organized and so well communicated. Almost miltary
like. Was a very fascinating thing to see.

I used to call spotted owls for the US Forest Service in the 80's. Tried it
once in the in the Taneum country sleeping in the back of my truck on a cot.
Had 4 barn owls come within ARMS REACH of my nose, circling the truck and
each apprently taking turns to come hover over me. Amazing as they were so
close and so absolutely silent. The spotted owls would come down for mice
with little or no fear, but those barn owls came in to the sound alone.

I would really like to get together with some local folks here in WA and on
the east side of the Cascades in particular. I know the sage steppe like
the back of my hands and have been in the country since - well, for a long
time (my great grandfather was the first federal marshall in the Washingon
Territories deputized in Colfax). I have a degree in ecology and computer
science and would like to contribute both as best I can to this birding
thang. Started hand taming when I was 12. And no, my mom and dad were not
birders. Just had something in me for the birds.

My life has gone that way ever since.

OK, introduction over. I am back to reading the posts.

Ken Boettger
ken at willdlanders.com
http://www.wildlanders.com





>From: Denny Granstrand <dgranstrand at charter.net>
>Reply-To: dgranstrand at charter.net
>To: "TWEETERS-u.washington.edu" <TWEETERS at u.washington.edu>
>Subject: Barred Owl photos
>Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2004 22:10:51 -0800
>
>Hi Tweeters,
>
>A Barred Owl has spent the last week in the backyard of a house on the hill
>west of Selah, WA. I went to see it today. It was calmly roosting about
>15 feet off the ground in a fir tree.
>
>When I got to the house on Selah Heights Road, the woman who called to tell
>me about the owl and her daughter were waiting for me in the driveway. We
>walked to the back yard and she told me to follow her daughter to see the
>owl. I followed her to the base of the tree and she pointed up and said
>"There it is. That tripod probably won't do you much good." And she was
>afraid I would scare the owl!
>
>I quietly suggested we could get a much better look from across the yard so
>I set my scope up near the back door and had a perfect look at the owl.
>Everyone in her family was very impressed at the view through the scope.
>
>I was able to get lots of photos but they were taken at quite slow shutter
>speeds due to the time of day and the fog. Three of them are in the new
>photos folder on my website.
>
>Earlier today I was in Sunnyside, southeast of Yakima, and watched a
>Northern Harrier swoop through a cattle corral and catch a starling. It
>flew across the road to a field and was proceeding to chow down when a
>Red-tailed Hawk scared it up and stole the starling. The Red-tail flew far
>across the pasture with its prize. A photo of the harrier is also in the
>new photos folder.
>
>Keep the Great Black-backed Gull around until Saturday afternoon!
>
>Denny Granstrand
>
> * Denny Granstrand *
> * Yakima, WA *
> * dgranstrand at charter.net *
> photos on-line at:
>http://osprey.bardill.net/gallery/
>
>

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