[obol] concern about nesting disturbance of Western Screech Owl

[m_scatt at yahoo.com]

There is a very visible nesting Western Screech Owl adjacent to a well-travelled trail in a public park. Someone marked the area with flagging and it looks like a lot of people have been trampling the area. We observed a large group in the area making a lot of commotion. I don't know anything about nesting Western Screech Owls, but I did find the following information on the web on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology site:   
   
  Egg Laying: Screech-Owl females sit in the nest cavity a few days prior to egg laying. Eastern Screech-Owls lay three to four eggs in a clutch, and Western Screech-Owls lay two to five eggs. The first two to three eggs of the clutch are often laid two to three days apart; the remaining eggs are laid one per day. The eggs are white to creamy white and slightly glossy. 
  Throughout the nesting cycle, females stay in their nest cavity all day but leave briefly at dusk and near dawn. They are sensitive to disturbances during egg laying, and if disturbed they readily abandon their nests.
   
  I am concerned that these owls are being disturbed.  Does anyone out there have a sense of whether or not they are truly at risk?  Any information would be appreciated. 
   
  Em Scattaregia 

 
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