Subject: [Tweeters] Boreal Owls in Scamania County
Date: Oct 18 23:03:41 2008
From: Ruth Sullivan - godwit513 at msn.com


Hello Tweeters,
Yesterday Friday,I left to find the many Spruce Grouse at Horseshoe Lake
what Khan Tran and Joe Higbee found.I got started at 8.00 AM here from
Tacoma,but I forgot how much it really take to going from Randle way up to
the place where this Grouse was seen.I got there little after 11.00 Am when
I spotted 2 Grouse on the road ahead to the lake,taken my binoculars
,there where both adult males.I had my camera ready ,but it was to late the
2 birds disappeared .I looked almost 2 hours in the nearby area,but I did
not find any more grouse at all.I drove in to Horseshoe Lake ,the only
birds what I found the many Wigeon and a lot of Mallards and one Ring-necked
Duck.I looked for the area what Patrick picked in October 2006 for habitat
for Boreal Owls,I think I had the right place,to come back later in the
evening.I drove back to Takhlakh lake ,but stopped on Takhlakh
Meadows,remember the Black-backed Woodpeckers who bred on in that area going
on the trail up to the Rocks on trail 136.This is an easy trail to hike up
to the top,the view from there is fantastic all the way around.Most all the
trees in this area are stripped partly of there bark,could be from the
Woodpeckers trying to find insects under the bark.The Weather was so mild
the sun was out ,so sitting there I saw a bird all dark in the distance
going from tree to tree,it turned out that this was a Black-backed
Woodpecker.The bird did not came closer I had good looks to my Binoculars.I
went to Takhlakh Lake after that,what had only 2 Common Goldeneye.Driving
back down route 23 I also had 2 Gray Jays mile post 28 and many Varied
Thrushes.I visiting some friends in Randle where I used to going fishing
with.Also visiting the Tower Rocks,looking for the Peregrine Falcon's who
used to breed there.I went back to the place I picked earlier for the Boreal
Owl.It was at 8.00 PM when I start playing the tape with no response.I was
than wondering if this was the place Patrick picked.I went in the car roll
all the windows down and use the tape recorder from the car while driving
along the road one in a while stop and listen..It was after 11.00 P.M. when
I heard a quite SKEW call .I stopped the car and the call came closer and
than one more on the left side.I needed help with all the stuff I had in my
hand Flashlight Recorder ,Camera,I played the tape again for the third
time,when I saw a shadow flying close by me.But I could not figure out
where the Owl landed,to use the flash .One of this Owls called again ,but
than I use the flash and did not see the Owl.So this time it was only the
Shadow and the call.But despite not seeing the Owl I was so elated that I
had this Owls at all.It was after 12,00 AM to drive to Randle coming home in
the morning to going today to the Coast birding.I will report my findings
tomorrow.


Cheers Ruth Sullivan