[obol] Asio Owls

[Greg Gillson]

I can't speak for what bird Lars saw.

But here's a prime example of the value of knowing the status of your  
local birds. While debating which owl he might have seen, consider this.

Which is more common, Long-eared or Short-eared Owl?

The answer for Washington County is Long-eared Owl.

In fact, Short-eared Owl has NEVER been recorded on the Forest Grove  
CBC (only a week away)!

In contrast, since 1988, Long-eared Owl has only been missed 5 times  
in 19 years (probably due to rain making detection impossible).  
Long-eared Owls have been recorded on the hill near Fernhill Wetlands,  
and regularly at Hagg Lake throughout the year, also at Killin  
Wetlands, and perhaps other locations.

The only sighting of Short-eared Owl in the county that I know about  
was a bird flying over Highway 99 at Sherwood at what is now the  
Tualatin Valley NWR. That was in spring 1985. There are no specific  
records for Washington County in BirdNotes. No doubt several people  
will pipe up with "I saw one..." That's great, I'd love to hear about  
it. But Short-eared is still a very rare bird LOCALLY, and declining  
in most areas of the state.

Greg Gillson
Hillsboro, Oregon
greg at thebirdguide.com
http://thebirdguide.com