Scientists report spotted owls are down and declining at a faster rate

Scientists report that after two decades of attempts to save the species, northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis) numbers in the Northwest are still on the decline — and at a faster rate. The threatened bird nests in old trees and is at the heart of a decades-long struggle over the fate of the region’s old-growth forests. Scientists at a conference Tuesday in Vancouver, Washington, reported that owl numbers are now dropping at an annual rate of 3.8 percent, said U.S. Forest Service spokesman Glen Sachet. Five years ago, the rate was 2.8 percent. The scientists also said population declines are more widespread in the bird’s range from Washington through Northern California.

Source: Times Standard News, June 10, 2015
http://www.times-standard.com/general-news/20150610/scientists-spotted-…