Owl Spotted In Tree On NE 45th Street

 

A neighbor spotted an owl in a tree on the south side of NE 45th Street and 46th Avenue NE about 9pm on Friday.

The neighbor said:

It was quite a sight to look up in the tree and see such a regal owl. It was just calmly looking around and finally flew out of the tree into a nearby tree. The neighbor thought it might be a Barred Owl.

In November of last year a jogger in the NE Surber Drive area told the Laurelhurst Blog that he had his hat swiped while running: 

I was strafed by an owl while jogging around a quiet bend of NE Surber Drive, just near the Center for Urban Horticulture and Union Bay Natural Area. I felt a quick, mild blow to the back of my head, coupled with a profound lack of hat. I didn’t hear or see a thing before or after this stealth attack. The owl and my cap simply disappeared into the black night.

A recent post from the Union Bay Watch Blog published by Larry Hubbell, long-time local photographer said about Barred Owls: 

The Union Bay neighborhood is shared by a wide variety of wild creatures, many of which the Barred Owls eat and some who eat Barred Owls. 

Barred Owls do not build their own nests. they tend to look for a cavity in a dead tree or an abandoned nest. I have also seen them nesting in Cottonwood trees. I suspect a well-shaded site, in the midst of a wooded area, might be their most critical requirement.

Despite their exceptional skills, the owls do not always find food. Their special predatory adaptations include excellent eyesight (including low-light vision), pinpoint hearing, and wings which allow virtually silent flight. Plus, they can eat small prey whole and simply cough up a ball of indigestible bones, feathers, or fur.

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