READER REPORT: Suspected swooping

| Gatewood | West Seattle news | Wildlife

Every so often, we get reports like this one from Tim:

Writing to let you know I was ‘swooped’ by—what I believe was a Barred Owl (last night around 10:45) on 37th Ave between Southern and Rose in Gatewood. [map]

White and speckled underneath, it had a large wingspan, narrowly missed me, then landed on the nearby rooftop. It watched as I walked, then motioned to dive again before I quickly got inside. Having read a previous article on WSB, I can now see I was doing everything wrong: hat and headphones (luckily, I recently had my COVID ponytail cut off)!

Last such report we published was in September. Here’s what you need to know about owls (check the “preventing conflicts” section).

Cranky February 23, 2022 (2:15 pm)

grab that license plate… oh wait

Flivver February 23, 2022 (2:58 pm)

I predict a run on hardhats.

Marcus February 23, 2022 (3:41 pm)

You cut off your Covid ponytail? Those owls are very perceptive.

MES February 23, 2022 (4:32 pm)

Shades of Ritchie Petrie and the woodpecker:

Steve February 23, 2022 (6:31 pm)

Owls rarely miss. It was a warning swoop.

SuzanneK February 23, 2022 (10:58 pm)

Definitely agree with Steve. Owls don’t miss. This bird was letting you know their nest is very close and telling you to stay away. Crossing the street should be enough to keep this from happening again.

Swooping is a very effective way for an owl to tell us to get out of the immediate territory. A warning swoop sends a gentle but extremely clear message.

The same is true for crows in a few months when their chicks hatch. It’s always good practice to respect the requests of the nesting owls and crows as they let us know they want us to avoid specific areas when their chicks are nearby and vulnerable to our presence.

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