Greetings from the silent north:
Just thought I'd join the small contingent of Canuck
Tweets who have been coerced into jumping on the Snowy
Owl bandstand.
Sunday afternoon, my daughter and I stopped at the
southern end of 72nd St. in Delta where it butts up against
the dyke at Boundary Bay. We walked up on the dyke and
set up my scope. A 180 degree scan of the bay foreshore
revealed 16 SNOW. A breathtaking sight.
While we glassed the "snowys", a half dozen Short-
eared Owls flew over the fields like giant bats in slow motion.
Twice as many Northern Harriers careened about.
A female Merlin kept the great twisting clouds of Dunlin active
over the mud flats. Two Rough-legged Hawks glided by.
At one point two of the SEOW's flew up to harass a
slowly passing Peregrine. A look through the scope revealed
why it was so preoccupied. In it's talons it carried a small
bird which it was dining on in flight.
This whole scenario took place in the space of one hour
mere minutes from the heart of one of Canada's largest cities,
but for me I felt as awe-struck as if I'd been in some arctic
tundra, far from any civilization.

Brian and Maya Scott <PISHER at msn.com>
Langley, BC "time flies like an arrow,
fruit flys like a banana"