this time of year the young barred owls are out and about, sometimes even
on the ground as they are not yet strong fliers. The parent birds will
protect their young. I had this happen once on a trail along the Miller
Creek road and I decided rather than to flee to sit. So I did, with my back
to a tree so I could see what was coming at me. The parent owl swooped at me
a couple more times then perched low and began making a most odd noise, sort
of a low crooning sound. I heard another sound which led me the owlet, who
was perched on a low branch of a hucklebery. Just then another hiker came by
on the trail and the adult went after her, swooping down from behind her
twice. I ate my lunch and watched 3 other hikers receive the same treatment.



Rob Sandelin
Naturalist, Writer
The Environmental Science School
http://www.nonprofitpages.com/nica/SVE.htm
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-----Original Message-----
From: tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu
[mailto:tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Julie
Onofrio
Sent: Sunday, July 02, 2006 9:30 PM
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Subject: [Tweeters] Re: wierd owl attack

Ok so what do you think about this...

I was walking in Farell McWhirter Park in Redmond at about 9 pm and I felt
something hard hit the back of my head.
I looked up thinking it was a tree branch as that park has alot of old
growth trees that are always falling down and an owl was flying away from
me.

It went to a tree branch and gave me the strangest look like stretching it's
neck up
and puffing it's feathers out. I looked down on the ground for a
second and took a step
away looking for a branch or something but I couldn't find any and when I
looked up it was gone. I took a few steps around looking for it and it hit
me again from behind!!

I must have been disturbing it's nest or something although I walk in that
park alot and have never even seen an owl although I know they are around
because I can hear one hooting in the night sometimes. I didn't stick
around to see if I could see a nest or something.
Why else would it attack me?

It didn't draw blood but I can feel a slight headache it hit me that hard.
I think it looked like a barred owl.

Yikes
Julie Onofrio
Redmond Wa
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Tweeters at u.washington.edu
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