Subject: [Tweeters] Barred Owl @ Discovery Park
Date: Jul 11 10:17:15 2006
From: Whitney H - ms_whitneyk at hotmail.com


Yesterday about 2pm I decided to take a little jaunt to Discovery Park to
get some inspiration for some design work I had to do later on. While
walking up the vehicle access road almost to the reservist's houses and the
old barracks, I heard what sounded like a couple of owls hooting away along
with some crows screeching at them. I stopped to look but couldn't see
anything and it quieted down. After a few solitary hoots from the owl and a
few back from me, I trudged my way throught the stinging nettles further in
to see if I could find a better vantage point but no luck.

After going back to the North Loop Trail and heading east, I walked down to
the first dog leg in the trail and stopped. I heard a small hoot again, so
I hooted back. We exchanged a few hoots before I was finally able to spot
the owl on a lower branch of a large dark tree far off the path at about my
one O'clock. The owl then decided to fly off to my right and out of sight.
I wandered back up the trail, letting a few hoots out along the way but
received no answer.

I then went back to the vehicle access trail on my original path and who do
I see on the right side in a low hanging branch of a tree not 5 feet off the
path but that Barred Owl! It was kind enough to pose and hang out there for
a while, much to the dismay of the Robins and Song Sparrows that were
sending out alarms on either side of the poor thing incessantly. A
bicyclist and a pair of ladies walking were able to enjoy seeing this fellow
with me and eventually we all left it to do it's thing.

Wonderful fun and inspiration! Here's a link to one of the clearer photos I
was able to get considering how dark it was:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/backyardbirderwa/187399248/

Whitney H.
Seattle, WA