etpm
Veteran Member
Here on Whidbey Island we had this year a bumper crop of owls. We have a pair of Great Horned Owls that hang out here year after year. They added at least one owl this year. We also have Barred Owls and this year they had twins. And we got to watch them grow up. They would often hang out with the adults close to our house. Like 30 feet away. The babies grew up fast! It was not long before they were almost as tall as the adults. Clumsy though. Flying and hunting. My wife and I really got a front row view to their activities. Taking pictures of one of the Barred Owl adults one day I was able to approach to within about 10 feet. I dunno if I could have gotten closer, I didn't want to spook it. I'll attach a pic.The birds I am concerned about are the owls and other raptors. The drought last summer was really hard on the rodent population. They survive by licking dew during periods of no rain, and there were weeks that were so dry there was no dew. They died of thirst. There are hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of acres with no field mice, voles, or other small animals. I think it will be a hard winter for owls. Even now, of the three owl territories on my property, apparently only one is occupied now.
Eric