Subject: [Tweeters] Banded Burrowing Owl near Sequim
Date: Dec 9 23:22:25 2012
From: Bob and Barb Boekelheide - bboek at olympus.net


On 12/4/12, Glen Goschen discovered a Burrowing Owl on private property near Sequim Bay. There are only a few BUOW records for Clallam Co, the last one recorded by Scott Atkinson within a mile or two from this site on the Sequim-Dungeness CBC in 2006, so it is noteworthy.

Glen showed the bird to a small number of us today (12/9/12), and we discovered from our photos that it is banded with an USFWS metal band on its left leg and a green anodized numbered band on its right leg. Unfortunately we can't read the bands from our photos, although the green band shows a large "0". Does anyone know who might be using this banding scheme on BUOW? I have sent a note to the Bird Banding Lab, but just wondering if someone in TweetersLand might know.

The bird seems quite attached to the site, apparently having dug a burrow under a nearby log with a substantial pile of sand outside the burrow. It also has a pile of scattered feathers, possibly from prey items, where it usually stands. Glen says he has seen the bird at the same place every day since he first saw it, so it's anyone's guess how long it's been using the site.

Bob Boekelheide
Sequim