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Last Tuesday, Jim and Judy Bailey located an immature Northern
Pygmy-Owl up Bowman Fork from Millcreek Canyon. The next evening
between 7:30 and 8:00, four other SL Birders relocated the Owl in the same
general area. (The directions are given below by Pomera Fronce.)
I went up this evening, Friday, and got to the metal cistern cover at
7:00. It is about a 35-minute hike up the fairly steep trail. I
began calling for the bird and actually walked up to the 5th creek crossing
where the trail begins to head up away from the creek to the right. Then,
back to the cistern. Finally, at 8:15 p.m., the Owl began to respond to my
tape, about 100 feet down-trail from the cistern. I was finally able to
get it to become visible in a dead spruce tree. While I was observing and
listening to it call, a second one called from my left, possibly the adult
Owl. I never could see it but could hear it quite plainly. At times,
both owls would be calling at the same time.
--Steve Carr
From Pomera,
I went with Anne Halley, Steve and Cindy Sommerfeld. Obviously, we
found the owl with Jim's directions, but here are some I sent to someone else
with a few more specifics:
Drive up Millcreek Canyon past Log Haven and Porter
Fork. Turn right at the Terraces picnic area. This turn is marked
from the main canyon road, and is 3.7 miles from the pay station.
Follow the paved road 1/4 mile to the parking lot for the trailheads. Take
the Bowman Fork Trail, to the right. It will take you 30-45 minutes (at a
non-birding clip) to get to the place where we saw the owl. After you have
crossed the stream for the third time, walk another 350-375 paces. Look
for a metal cover (for some kind of water drain or something) about the size of
a hula hoop on the left hand side of the trail. Steve wrote Pygmy Owl in
pencil on it! We called the owl into the big dead tree just across the
trail from this spot. I think this spot is a little bit below
where Jim saw it.
Steve S. carried a scope and it was nice to have as the owl
was quite high up in the tree; however, we could see it with our
binoculars. Between 7:30 and 8:00 seems to be the magic time. Good
luck!
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