Wednesday, December 25, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Tales from a
Sisters
Naturalist
by Jim Anderson
The barred owl
is here to stay
O
N
The infamous, alien barred
S
owl, nemesis of the native
ER
ND
A
northern spotted owl.
JIM
TO
PH O
BY
First it was rumors, “The
barred owls are coming, the
barred owls are coming…”
Next, it was the dire warn-
ings that the barred owls
were going to either chase all
the northern spotted owls out
of the Northwest, or breed
with them and bring forth a
whole new sub-species called
“sparred owls.”
Then the warning was
the feathered invader would
compete with the spotted
owls for prey and eat them
out of house and home —
which seems to be the case.
In any event, the last I heard,
Wildlife Services — the arm
of the Federal Department of
Agriculture that uses deadly
force to solve wildlife prob-
lems — was assassinating
barred owls in the Pacific
Northwest.
Way back in the 1980s,
one turned up in Alfalfa,
and then about five years
ago I found one spend-
ing some time in Tumalo
State Park on the Deschutes
River, and another was seen
near Crescent, then recently
another was observed hang-
ing around the Old Mill
District in Bend. And now
they¾re in Peggy Tehan¾s
backyard in Sisters, roaming
around Tumalo and the coun-
tryside in between.
Unlike the spotted owl
who is a specialist and
concentrates feeding on
small boreal rodents in
old-growth forests—
with an occasional
gopher or two for
variety — the barred
will gobble up just
about anything it can
find, maybe even a
chicken or two.
We humans have
played a big role in
allowing the barred owl
to migrate from the east
to the west. It is our logging
practices that opened the
gate. Clear-cutting became
a way of life for the logging
industry in the Northwest,
and Canada enjoys that
method of cutting trees as
well. So we have created a
forested freeway for them to
travel.
Barred owls are mostly
cavity nesters, which puts
them in direct competition
with our native screech, saw-
whet and pygmy owls for
breeding sites. The barred
owl being the larger of the
y win that
group means it may
battle as well.
As far as I know, the
barred owl is the ONLY
owl that t sings an eight-
note call. . I have heard
anize the call
birders humanize
ooks for you,
to, “Who cooks
who cooks for r all,” with a
drop in the tone on the last
part. It¾s normally pretty
noisy in spring — but if a
onds to
great horned owl responds
the barred¾s call it will shut
down immediately and may
even leave the country. Great
horned owls are the chief
predator of barred owls.
Don¾t be surprised if
you¾re out fly-fishing and
you come upon a barred owl
standing in the creek or edge
of a lake. They will occasion-
ally wade into water to gob-
ble up a few spawning fish,
pollywogs, frogs, salaman-
ders or crayfish. Barred owls
will even come to a campfire
if it illuminates large insects,
such as June bugs and the
like.
If you ever find yourself
back in Brooklyn, New York,
take a few minutes and visit
the art museum. John James
Audubon¾s original illustra-
tion of the barred owl stalking
a gray squirrel — engraved
and colored by Robert
Havell¾s London work-
shop — is on display there.
Anyway, keep your eyes
peeled for an owl about the
size of our local great horned,
but without any “horns.”
Don¾t be bashful about send-
ing me an email if you see
one; I promise, I won¾t shoot
it or tell anyone from Wildlife
Services where you live. And
if it sings that eight-note song
to you, consider yourself one
of the lucky ones.
Sat., Dec. 28 • 8 p.m.
Sassparilla
Punk Americana PDX band.
New Year’s Eve Bash
9th Annual • No Cover!
– 8PM to 1AM –
Drink Specials * Balloon Drop
Midnight Champagne Toast!
Tuesday • Dec. 31
LIVE MUSIC & DANCING WITH
FLASH-BACK
175 N. Larch St.
54
541-549-6114
5
41 5 49 6114
4
hardtailsoregon.com
Pub opens 1 hour prior to shows.
302 E. Main | 541-815-9122
BelfryEvents.com
Entertainment & Events
Cork Cellars Tasty Thursday Hosted Wine Tasting
5 to 7 p.m. For additional information call 541-549-2675 or
go online to corkcellarswinebistro.com.
26
THUR Sisters Saloon Karaoke Night 9 p.m. to midnight. Every
Thursday, no cover! For additional information call
541-549-7427 or go to sisterssaloon.net.
DEC
NEW YEAR’S EVE
CRAB
RA
FEED
DEC
27
FRI
DEC
28
SAT
Downtown Sisters 4th Friday Art Stroll 4 to 7 p.m.
Galleries and shops feature live entertainment and
refreshments, every fourth Friday of the month! For
additional information go to sistersartsassociation.org.
Fika Sisters Coffeehouse Sisters Classic Old-Time
Radio Experience 6 p.m. Free presentation of 2 holiday
classic radio shows, along with food, beverages and wine for
purchase. Call 541-588-0311 for more information.
Hardtails Bar & Grill KJ Annie Rawkstar Karaoke
Night! 9 p.m. Every Friday, no cover! For additional
information call 541-549-6114 or go to hardtailsoregon.com.
Cork Cellars Live Music with Derek Michael Marc 6:30-
8:30 p.m. No cover! For information call 541-549-2675 or go
online to corkcellarswinebistro.com.
The Belfry Live Music with Sassparilla 8 p.m. Punk
Americana PDX band. For tickets call 541-815-9122 or go to
BelfryEvents.com.
Hardtails Bar & Grill KJ Annie Rawkstar Karaoke
Night! 9 p.m. Every Saturday, no cover! For additional
inf
information call 541-549-6114 or go to hardtailsoregon.com.
Hardtails Bar & Grill New Year’s Eve Bash 8 p.m. 9th
annual, no c cover! Live music with Flash-Back. For additional
information call 541
541-549-6114 or go to hardtailsoregon.com.
31
Saloon Roaring 20’s Party 9 p.m. to midnight.
TUES Sisters Sal
TUE
Live music with Jazz Folks. For additional information call
541-549-7427 or go to sisterssaloon.net.
The Belfr
Belfry Roaring 20’s New Year’s Eve Speakeasy
8 p.m. Live music with local band Company Grand. For
tick
tickets call 541-815-9122 or go to BelfryEvents.com.
DEC
DE
JAN
1
WED
RESTAURANT AT
ASPEN LAKES
Bring your friends and
family and say goodbye
to 2019 in a beautiful
setting while dining
on delicious food!
Starts at 5 PM
Call 541-549-3663
for reservations.
13
Sisters Saloon Poker Night 7 p.m. Every Wednesday! $20.
For information call 541-549-7427 or go to sisterssaloon.net.
Cork Cellars Tasty Thursday Hosted Wine Tasting
5 to 7 p.m. For additional information call 541-549-2675 or
go online to corkcellarswinebistro.com.
2
THUR Sisters Saloon Karaoke Night 9 p.m. to midnight. Every
Thursday, no cover! For additional information call
541-549-7427 or go to sisterssaloon.net.
JAN
JAN
3
FRI
Fika Sisters Coffeehouse Game Night until 8 p.m. Bring
your own games & friends or fi nd them there! Call 541-588-
0311 for more information.
Hardtails Bar & Grill KJ Annie Rawkstar Karaoke
Night! 9 p.m. Every Friday, no cover! For additional
information call 541-549-6114 or go to hardtailsoregon.com.
Events Calendar listings are free to advertisers.
Submit items by 5 p.m. Fridays to lisa@nuggetnews.com