Greetings all!

I was putting up some more bluebird houses this morning. Before attaching the house to one tree (lodgepole pine) I was knocking off the small dead limbs around where the house would go. The noise flushed a great horned owl from another tree (ponderosa pine) about six feet away. It flew to another tree about two hundred feed away.

I proceeded to hang the bluebird house. Just as I finished, I was surprised to see that the owl was flying back toward me. It landed at the top of another tree about half-way back. I initially assumed that it was just curious what I was doing.

However, when I went back to the house I heard a commotion. I turned around just in time to see a red-tailed hawk just leaving from having hazed the owl who had returned to the same tree!

I then walked down my driveway which was not next to the tree, but gave me a better view. At that point I could see that there was definitely a nest in the tree.

I have heard the owls frequently, but seen them only occasionally. However, our place is a perfect spot for them. We have about three acres of an old rock quarry. Marmots are abundant and now I now that some of them will end up in that tree.

Take care,
Ron McCluskey,
Cheney, WA