Awoke at 02:45. Drove to the top of Snoqualmie Pass, in the pre-dawn dark, with a few truck drivers to keep me company on I-90. Then I carefully drove my Honda Accord up a rough, rocky and steep road to a pretty little lake above the ski area. All for two hours of incessant insect attacks during the crisp, calm morning of 27 Jun 2007. Photo taken at 05:21, about ten minutes after sunrise. Not a murrelet to be seen on the whole survey, though the screech owls, ravens and Stellar's jays were quite busy. The ravens were awesome. Huge, heavy-beaked beasts that seemed made of oil they were so dark. Well-fed from the dumpsters far below; the day before I saw one carrying away little plastic butter containers. The bird seemed very happy.

After the Snoqualmie survey, I loaded the car, and headed south, back to Portland for a single survey northwest of Forest Grove. At the McGregor Wetlands. A survey full of owls. Owl, owl, owl. Get used to the word. Before 05:00, the amazingly eerie and alien call of the spotted owl, a sound like a coyote and human mixed in equal portions, sounded from the trees to my west. Then the harsh, raspy call of a barn owl issued from the canopy nearly overhead. Later followed by the haunting call of the great horned owl. The spotted owl gradually drifted away, then returned after about a half-hour, flitting among mossy red alder branches, with a mouse hanging from its beak--the beautiful bird paused long enough for me to get a good look through my 10x25 binoculars. Then the night-predator spread wings and sailed into a dense patch of conifers nearby, silently, neatly. I think there's a nest not too far from the station.

After a few days off in Portland--time I'm happily spending with my daughter--I will then travel to Coos Bay for the month of July. I'll be busy. The peak of marbled murrelet rearing season will be at hand, which results in the peak in murrelet detection surveys. I've always liked Coos Bay, and it'll be interesting to stay there for a month.