Tweeters,

On Tuesday, May 7th, a BARRED OWL was sighted on the UW Seattle campus. The bird was roosting on a tree along Stevens Way, just in front of Padelford, and about 15 feet south of the Metro bus stop there. Jean Santos, a good birder, saw crows mobbing the tree around 11:15 AM. A woman was looking up and said there was an owl that was about a foot high (the angle of viewing is steep, so the owl likely appeared foreshortened). Jean was able to find the bird again, in the same tree, around 1:45. She noted the dark eyes and vertical striping on the chest.

We both checked the following morning but were unable to relocate it. There are several nesting boxes in that area that were put up for Barn Owls - I don't know if they are an attraction or not. A heavily wooded ravine behind the residence halls there seems like decent habitat for an urban Barred.

Anyway, I just wanted to share the sighting. Jean is not on Tweeters, so she asked that I pass this along.

Jackie Owens
Seattle, WA
jeo2 at uw.edu