After a short search I was able to find an owl. I was pretty much done looking when a passing visitor saw it. I told you they can be hard to see! I was looking up that same tree and missed him. I don't actually know if it's a him, I don't know how to tell males and female barred owls apart. Either way, this owl is large and beautiful. This picture was taken just south of the sequioa grove, in the Douglas fir with all the ivy under it.

Quick update:
we went on a tour with Jack Bettesworth, who is tracking our resident raptors, and checked up on the Coopers hawks nests. No babies yet, but they should be hatching VERY soon, so keep checking back here and I'll let you know as soon as they are spotted. We went by the owl nest and didn't see anything, but they can be very elusive in the day. Also, they are very well camoflaged, so I could have looked right at them and not known. I'll be swinging by there in an hour or so and see how they are.

pic as promisied

Here's that pic of the Cooper's Hawk

Yesterday my wife and I were having a picnic at the high point in the cascadia forest area (a wonderful spot for that sort of thing by the way) and spotted the two Cooper's hawks. They were both flying around, then one went back to the nest, while the other gathered sticks. They must have been tidying up the nest. They are both looking good. Cooper's hawks are very fast and hard to photograph by the way. I'll post some pics if any came out.

The Apiary is buzzing with excitement!

I noticed yesterday that the Apiary (located just south of the greenhouses by the Arboretum visitor's center) is a hive of activity (please pardon the pun.) With the return of warmer weather and plenty of flowers all over, the bees are back at work. check them out at the Arboretum, or learn more at http://www.pugetsoundbees.org/

First Post! Spring in the Arboretum!

Well, I've finally done it. I went and started a blog. I'm not sure were to start, so I may as well start with some recent sightings.

We have two Cooper's hawk nests in the Arboretum. One in a western hemlock near the Sorbus collection, near Arbotreum Drive, and the other is in a very tall Madrone, in the new Pacific Connections Cascadia Forest garden. Last I heard they were both still incubating eggs, so stay tuned, we should have babies soon.

Our resident Barred Owls have had 2 chicks (I think, I've only seen one so far.) I spotted one of the adults taking something dead to one of them in a big leaf maple near their nest. the chicks are pretty big now, but still very fluffy.

I spotted 2 Coyotes about two weeks ago, near the camellia collection, and one was spotted last week a bit further north.

That's it for now, I hope to update often with sightings and info from both sites!