Forest Sounds

We are parked next to a nice stand of forest, and get to hear many different birds singing. The most noticeable are a pair of Barred Owls that call every evening.

The Biological Technician here at the refuge stopped by our trailer last night to tell us that she'd located one of the owls. She led us to a spot no more than 100 yards from our trailer and pointed out a Barred Owl perched in a fir tree.

Unfortunately Barred Owls have been displacing the endangered Spotted Owls in much of their range in the Pacific Northwest. Barred Owls are closely related to Spotted Owls, and as they have dispersed into areas where they've not been previously found they have a tendency to drive the less aggressive Spotted Owls away. In some areas Barred Owls are being killed in an attempt to prevent the extinction of Spotted Owls. Kind of a no-win situation.

We'd hope to hear and find other owls as the season progresses.

Mark