As a side note:

On our return drive back to Oregon, we noticed an incredible number of barn owl carcasses on the side of the highway. In a stretch of about 8 miles, we counted over 30 carcasses! We were scratching our heads over it, and have been wondering why there are so many dead barn owls along that highway.

Barn owls hunt only at night, flying low to the ground, and often take advantage of the clear highways, like runways, to hunt for mice and other rodents without obstructions. However, many speeding cars travel those roads, and the barn owls eventually get hit. Apparently, this is a problem that has been increasing over the past few years.

Professor James Belthoff of the Boise State University in Idaho has been conducting a study over past four years about the increasing mortality of barn owls that are hit on the highway, particularly along I-84, just east of the Idaho border. He should be releasing his study later this year, and I am anxious to see what the solutions are. I googled for a story on this and found, among several newspaper articles, an actual news clip on the topic. You can watch it here.