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| Barred Owl 12 feet from me-almost at eye level. Photo by Chris Southwick |
By Christine Southwick
While watering my heat-stressed yard, I heard several Red-breasted Nuthatches making a fuss. Being a bird nerd, I quietly investigated the cause.
Imagine my surprise when I saw this lovely Barred Owl checking out my yard (which is adjacent to Grace Cole Nature Park). It was on a branch almost at my eye level!
What a great way to start the day!
Barred Owls eat mostly rodents, which is a good thing for them and for us.
Being adaptive generalists, they also eat birds that are smaller and which mostly move at night. Barred Owls are larger than Spotted Owls and have been outcompeting and eating the specialist Spotted Owls.
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| Northern Saw-whet Owl (only about 8 in tall). Photo by Scott Ramos |
Northern Saw-whet Owls and Western Screech Owls, both small owls are in our area. There are reports of Northern Saw-whet sightings in Hamlin Park, and Western Screech Owls can be found in West Seattle. Actual population numbers are estimates since both these smaller owls are excellent at camouflage for safety reasons and will stay silent if they hear a Barred Owl.
Great Horned Owls which are also in our area, being bigger than Barred Owls, hunt Barred Owls. In the world of owls, size matters—bigger is better and more deadly.
Barred Owls are monogamous and form long-term pair bonds. These bonds are noisily maintained throughout the year, and pairs defend their territories especially in the fall, as late as October, when their youngsters are dispersing.
Barred Owls flourish in treed areas and migrated from eastern US up through forested Canadian areas and down through the lower Cascades on into California, where they munch on lots of prey including the Spotted Owls that use old growth forests almost exclusively.
Barred Owls want to know, “Who, who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all?”
But don’t answer near the nest tree. These owls are fiercely protective of their young. They will strafe invaders with their strong talons.
My bird nerd advice? If you hear several birds sounding upset, called “mobbing”, quietly try to find what is the cause. You too might find an owl.
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| Great Horned Owl nesting (note the yellow eyes). Photo by Eric Bjorkman |
Great Horned Owls which are also in our area, being bigger than Barred Owls, hunt Barred Owls. In the world of owls, size matters—bigger is better and more deadly.
Barred Owls are monogamous and form long-term pair bonds. These bonds are noisily maintained throughout the year, and pairs defend their territories especially in the fall, as late as October, when their youngsters are dispersing.
Therefore, runners and walkers should use other routes and avoid areas where attacks are occurring. Using their sharp talons is the only defense these owls have. Once their offspring have disbursed, they are less likely to attack.
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| Barred Owl Photo by Elaine Chuang |
Barred Owls flourish in treed areas and migrated from eastern US up through forested Canadian areas and down through the lower Cascades on into California, where they munch on lots of prey including the Spotted Owls that use old growth forests almost exclusively.
Barred Owls want to know, “Who, who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all?”
But don’t answer near the nest tree. These owls are fiercely protective of their young. They will strafe invaders with their strong talons.
My bird nerd advice? If you hear several birds sounding upset, called “mobbing”, quietly try to find what is the cause. You too might find an owl.
Way cool!
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