On Tue, 19 Nov 1996 13:33:55 -0800 (PST) Christopher Hill
cehill at u.washington.edu> writes:
>It would seem extraordinary that a Snowy Owl could catch a duck.

I can't speak for Snowy Owls, but a few years ago near Bend OR, I had
a "close encounter" with a Great Horned Owl. I was walking along a lake
shore at dusk (In August, I think) with the cries of Great Horned Owls
carrying over the water when the top of a dead tree, silhouetted against
the evening sky, suddenly sprouted what looked like six foot wings and
flew right in front of me . The interesting thing was that it never made
a sound with those huge wings. If the Snowy is anything like it's cousin
than maybe it is capable of "stealth" flight.
This raises a question. What signals waterfowl that a predator is
near? Sight, sound or what ? Thanks.
=================
Cliff Drake
Ballard, WA
Birder at Juno.com