Strix varia

Before the first breeding pair of Barred Owls in western Washington were confirmed in 1975, their haunting 8 note calls were absent from our expansive forests and city parks. 45 years later, their lineage is interwoven into our culture like roots in soil from the most ancient trees. A large and aggressive species, the relentless pressures they put on native owl species have cast a dark cloud over their very presence here. With many species on the brink of collapse, such as the Northern Spotted Owl, we often look at the voiceless as a scapegoat for an impending demise. But how did an 11,000 year old species with a nondiscriminatory willingness to adapt to new habitat and prey base take so long to show its face in the western United States? As concrete jungles expanded like wildfire and our natural landscape was upended by a buckling pressure to accommodate a skyrocketing population, inviting red carpets for Barred Owls were unfurled westward. This portfolio showcases a species with unparalleled success built on a fluent adaptation to survive. A species condemned and unwelcome. A species whose only crime is merely existing here.