Peter Henrickson wrote:

>I recall that someone reported a Snowy Owl at Nisqually Refuge. Where =
was
it? Also, are there any others in the Olympia area? Thanks for your =
help.

Peter,

I saw 3 Snowy Owls on Monday 11 November 1996 at the Mouth of the =
Nisqually River. All of the birds were perched on large 'drift' logs in =
the marsh on the east side of the river mouth, and all were within 75m =
of each other throughout most of the day. One bird flew off toward the =
east before dusk, but the other 2 remained where they were until at =
least 4:30 p.m.

I talked to a colleague who had duck-hunted there the previous week =
(Thursday the 7th?), and he had seen one there on that day - the owl =
paid him no attention, although he spent the afternoon within 50m of the =
bird! He also noted that the owl had apparently fed on a female =
Bufflehead, as there was a 'breasted- out' carcass of that species on =
the end of the log where the owl was perched.

Because the dike trail is closed this time of year (until the Public =
Hunting Area is closed after the first weekend of January (?)), the only =
access to the mouth of the River is by boat. I canoed to the site, =
launching from the Luhr Beach boat ramp off Meridian Road. I have not =
heard of any reports of owls from the public access areas of the Refuge =
proper, but there seem to be quite a number of Snowys reported around =
the PNW this season, so maybe one will show up in a spot that's a bit =
more accessible.

Hope this helps.

Jon. Anderson
Olympia, Washington
festuca at olywa.net