[messages previously checked 3-15 PM Nov 8, 1996]

4:14 PM Nov 8 - Hi, This is Greg Toffic from Woodland Park Zoo. This morning
Tom LaVersa, Jack Bettesworth and I released a Snowy Owl which had been
brought in to the zoo on Oct. 29. This is a bird that was found at Seatac
Airport in a parking garage in weakened condition. We brought it back into
very good weight and released it this morning. It was banded. It was color
marked in that there's a green spot at the back and top of the head and was
released near Edison on the Samish Flats. The bird seems to be doing quite
well. Also in the area, was a - although we didn't see any Snowy Owls - there
was a brown plumaged first year Gyrfalcon and a single Pacific Golden Plover
at the west 90. Thanks and good birding

9:48 PM Nov 8 - Hi this is Michael Priebe. (206) 623-7798 I was up in the
Keystone area today and saw a few good birds. To start with, there was a
Northern Shrike at the edge of the undeveloped Keyston Spit part of Fort
Casey State Park directly across the road from the dilapidated wooden dike
that goes across the middle of Crockett Lake - in the bushs there. Also, as
has been previously reported, there was a small flock of Snow Buntings, about
11 of them in the Fort Casey State Park. I saw them right near the parking
lot adjacent to the ferry landing by the bathrooms and they flew back down
Keystone Spit towards the little town of Keystone. Also at the Keystone Ferry
Landing itself there was a Black Oystercatcher. Thanks and goodby.

9:45AM Nov 9 - Hi. This is Greg Toffic from Woodland Park Zoo. This is a
request for information. If anyone sees the Snowy Owl that was released (by
the zoo) on the Samish Flats yesterday. This is a bird that I reported
yesterday that has been marked with green color on the back of its head. I'd
appreciate any reports particularly of any unusual circumstances. Please
contact either the Falcon Research Group at (360) 757-1911 or the zoo's
raptor center - Ernie Rose or Tom LaVersa at (206) 684-4013. Thank you.

6:17PM Nov 9 - Hi. This is Ruth Taylor (206) 525-6345. Birding from the
Samish Flats to the Big Ditch today with Judy and Gary Hall. Highlights from
the Samish Flats; 3 juvenile Northern Shrikes, 2 Harlan's Hawks, one of which
may be the intergrade that was mentioned on a prior report. At least 2
Short-eared Owls hunting at midday at the west 90. One Golden Plover in a
field north of the west 90 with many, many Black-bellied Plovers. Later in
the afternoon, at the North Fork Access at least 2 more Short-eared Owls and
at one time a Short-eared Owl flying above a Harrier which was stooping on a
bittern which was flying there. At the Big Ditch just before sunset today, 7
Snowy Owls, four in the scope at one time for all too brief a period of time
and 2 Short-eared Owls cavorting up and down the dike. Good luck and good
birding.

6:44PM Nov 9 - Hi. This is Rick Romea(sp) 523-5831.At least 4 Snowy Owls at
the Big Ditch Access near Stanwood today. Goodby.

9:24PM Nov 9 - This is Bruce LaBar from Tacoma, WA (206) 272-1058. Marcus
Roening, Heather Ballash, Marian Snyder and myself visited Dungeness Spit
today and we had 3 Snowy Owls about 3 and a half miles out on the spit.
Perhaps there are more out beyond the 3 and a half marker but we did have 3
and (they are) easy to see and lots of people around. Also the Marbled
Murrelets are easy to see from the spit. Thats about it, Thank you.

10:17PM Nov 9 - Steve Dang(sp) 368-6887. Today out at Sequim from the Oyster
Factory looking out towards Dungeness Spit there were 5 Snowy Owls. Also
hanging around the bird feeders at the Wild Birds Unlimited Store out that
way in Gardiner was a Northern Pygmy Owl at about 11AM in the morning.

11:11AM Nov 10 - Hi. This is Rachel Lawson at 282-5593. I live on Queen Anne
and there is a Snowy Owl on the top of my roof this morning on Nov 10. You
can see it- sort of - from the street. So if people want to come, they can
just come and stand in front of my house and see it. I live on Queen Anne at
411 West Prospect St. Thats on the south slope of Queen Anne. Thats all. Bye.

8:32PM Nov 10 - This is Wilson Cade (360) 835-5947. Starting on 11-10 -96 and
seen again on 11-11-96 {transcribers note: he probably means 11-9 and 11-10}
there's one male Tufted Duck in Klickitat County at Bingen. Go south on Maple
Street, straight on out across Leotripe(sp) tracks to the dike then east to
the log raft. The bird is hanging with scaup there. Also on 11-10 there was a
female Ruddy Shelduck at Rock Creek Cove, Skamania County. Of course
questionable origin. As well as on 10-31 and 11-1, 3 Egyptian Geese
photographed at the Wasougal Sewage Lagoon in Clark County. Thank you.

10-12PM Nov 10 - Hello. This is David Nelson from San Francisco along with
Steve Metz from Tulsa having a nice weekend trip to Washington State. We were
birding central Washington on Saturday afternoon, highway 20 {transcribers
note: probably referring to US 2} at milepost 182 at Atkins Lake which is a
few miles west of Coulee Dam. We saw two immature Snowy Owls and about 2
miles east of Atkins Lake as we were dropping down in elevation to Coulee Dam
we saw one more immature Snowy Owl. I guess they're out there across the
state. Good birding, Bye.

messages last checked 10:15AM 11-11-96

Bob Norton
Joyce, WA
norton360 at aol.com
(360) 928-3053