Liam, I apologize if it came off that I was attacking you. I didn't mean it that way. I had no intentions of attacking or flaming you or anybody. I am exasperated that the immediate reaction of the F&W department is to kill barred owls. Please accept my apologies.
Do I want to see the spotted owl go extinct? Heck no. I'm a field biologist and a master bird bander. But I'm also a realist, and I'm so very sorry that it appears that the Spotted is heading that way.
The primary reason is loss of habitat, and it appears that the state DNR is exacerbating the problem by logging the Capital Forest. No, there are no spotted owls in the Forest, but there are barreds, great horned, screech, and northern pygmy owls, as well as short eared owls utilizing the prairies (eg, Glacial Heritage and Mima Creek preserves). Deforesting the Black Hills will cause all those tree dwelling owls to move, and the only place left is the Olympic peninsula.
As for barreds being in Capitol Forest? They are there. I live not a mile from the Forest, and you can hear them, often. I've even found dead ones, hit by cars on Waddell creek Road and Sherman Valley road.
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